Overview
- Denise Bacon, 65, played her clarinet during a four-hour deep brain stimulation operation so clinicians could assess real-time motor changes.
- Surgeons observed immediate improvement in finger and hand movement on the side opposite the stimulated brain hemisphere as current was applied.
- The hospital confirmed the operation took place on July 16 and that Bacon was kept awake under local anesthetic to allow continuous testing.
- A chest-implanted, rechargeable pulse generator expected to last up to about 20 years was connected to the electrodes and can monitor and auto-adjust stimulation.
- Bacon, diagnosed in 2014 and previously forced to stop playing, reports early gains in walking, and the multidisciplinary team emphasizes that DBS treats symptoms but is not a cure.