New treatment option brings hope to patients with neurological disease

A new treatment device is giving patients hope and doctors access to information they've never had before.

IT’S CALLED AN ESSENTIAL TREMOR,WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE A TREMOR,BUT THEY DON’T KNOW WHY YOU HAVEIT JOHN CALDWELL RECEIVED THATDIAGNOSIS AT JUST 12 YEARS OLD.HIS HANDS WOULD SHAKE AND OVERTHE YEARS.HE DEVELOPED DYSTONIA A PAINFULTWISTING IN HIS NECK UNABLE TOTURN HIS HEAD.AT ONE POINT HE WAS TAKING 25PILLS A DAY TO MANAGE HISSYMPTOMS THEN LAST FALL HIS WIFEDIANE HEARD ABOUT A NEWTREATMENT OPTION A NEW DEEPBRAIN STIMULATION IMPLANT THATWOULD ALLOW SURGEONS TO TREATHIS SYMPTOMS AND RECORD HISBRAIN ACTIVITY AFTER THEOPERATION.THEY CAN PROVIDE HOPE TO PEOPLEWHEN THEY REACH A STAGE WHERETHE MEDICINE ISN’T WORKING.DR. MARK RICHARDSON IS DIRECTOROF FUNCTIONAL NEUROSURGERY ATMASS GENERAL HOSPITAL.HE SAYS DEEP BRAIN STIMULATIONHAS BEEN A SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT.OPTION FOR NEUROLOGICAL DISEASEFOR 20 YEARS, BUT THEY DIDN’TKNOW THE EFFECT OF THATSTIMULATION ON A DAY-TO-DAYBASIS.NOW, WE HAVE AN ADDITIONAL TOOLTHAT WE CAN USE WHICH IS WE CANSEE THE PERSON’S OWN BRAINACTIVITY AND HOW THAT’SRESPONDING TO SIMULATION IN JULYJOHN CALDWELL BECAME THE FIRSTPATIENT IN NEW ENGLAND TOUNDERGO THE MINIMALLY INVASIVEPROCEDURE.DR. RICHARDSON AND HIS TEAMUSING REAL-TIME MRI GUIDANCEINSERTED A WIRE THE SIZE OF ASPAGHETTI STRING INTO JOHN’SBRAIN.IT DELIVERS ELECTRICALSTIMULATION TO TREAT HISSYMPTOMS AND CONNECTS TO APACEMAKER-LIKE DEVICE TO TRACKHIS BRAIN ACTIVITY.THIS IS REALLY A WHOLE NEWWINDOW INTO BRAIN FUNCTION IS ADATA THAT INFORMATION WE’VENEVER BEEN ABLE TO SEE BEFORE.DR. TODD HARRINGTON IS THEDIRECTOR OF THE DEEP BRAINSTIMULATION PROGRAM AT MGH.HE SAYS THAT NEW DATA WILL HELPTHEM TREAT EACH SPECIFIC PATIENTIN PRECISELY THE RIGHT WAY FORTHE FIRST TIME THIS GRAYSIMULATION DEVICE CAN ACTUALLYRECORD ACTIVITY FROM THE BRAINTHAT WE THINK IS GOING TO BE THEBRAIN ACTIVITY UNDERLYING SOMEOF THESE SYMPTOMS AND WE THINKTHAT ACTIVITY MAY HELP GUIDE USIN HOW WE ADJUST THE STIMULATORFOR EACH PERSON.DR. HARRINGTON HAD TOLD JOHN ITMIGHT TAKE TWO TO THREE MONTHSTO FIND THE RIGHT SETTING ANDBRING RELIEF, BUT AT HIS FIRSTFOLLOW-UP LIKE A WAVE OF WARMJUST CAME DOWN MY BODY FOR MYHEAD AND AND I WAS SITTING THERELIKE WHAT IS THIS?DR. HARRINGTON?ASK JOHN TO HOLD HIS HANDS OUTAND I LOOKED IN ONE HAND WASTREMBLING AND ONE WAS NOT AND ITWAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING TO METHAT.THAT IT WORKS.IT WAS POSSIBLE AND IT HAPPENEDAND IT WAS RIGHT BEFORE MY VERYEYES.HE’S DYSTONIA ALSO DRAMATICALLYIMPROVED AS THIS LUCIA.THAT IS THIS.FELT SO GOOD.HE TRACKS ANY SYMPTOMS ON THISDEVICE TO SHARE AT HIS FOLLOW-UPAPPOINTMENTS BUT SAYS IT’S AMIRACLE TO HAVE COME SO FAR WITHWHAT THIS GAVE ME MORE THANANYTHING IS HOPE I NEVER HADHOPE THAT I COULD EVER GET OUTOF THIS.JUST REMARKABLE AND THE HOPE ISTHAT THAT DEVICE COULD ONE DAYREAD BRAIN ACTIVITY ANDSTIMULATE IN REAL TIME TO TREATSYMPTOMS AND THAT IS SOMETHING