A new deep brain stimulation system by Medtronic can sense and record brain activity at the same time as it delivers therapy to treat Parkinson's symptoms, essential tremors and epilepsy, the company announced this week.
The device, called the Activa PC+S deep brain stimulation system, will collect brain signals that researchers can use to study neurological and psychological disorders and learn how to adapt technology to best treat them. The hope is that the new device, and what doctors learn from it, will eventually lead to development of a treatment plan that can automatically adjust to meet the changing needs of the patient. Currently, medical staff have to adjust the settings of deep brain stimulation devices manually.
"This is one of the most exciting things that are happening in deep brain stimulation," said Lothar Krinke, vice president and general manager of the deep brain stimulation business in Medtronic's neuromodulation division.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy uses a surgically implanted medical device, similar to a pacemaker, to deliver mild electrical pulses to targeted areas of the brain to control symptoms of movement disorders and other diseases. The stimulation can be programmed and adjusted to maximize symptom control and minimize side effects. More than 100,000 patients worldwide have received Medtronic's DBS therapy.
The Activa PC+S system received CE Mark approval for use in the European Union in January. It is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for commercial use in the United States, and will be made available to physicians for investigational use only.
The first implant took place in Munich, Germany, in a person with Parkinson's disease. The system uses sensing technology and an adjustable algorithm to gather brain signals at various moments as selected by a physician. That data will be made available to physicians worldwide for use in clinical studies. They will use the system to map the brain's responses to DBS therapy and explore new applications for that therapy.
Dr. Philip Starr of the University of California, San Francisco, will be one of the U.S. physicians conducting research with the new device. He said that doctors are now using brain stimulation devices to treat a variety of disorders, "and yet we really don't understand how they work."
The Activa PC+S, by recording the electrical activity of the brain during therapy, will help doctors better understand what abnormal brain signal is being interrupted by the device, he said.