Couldn't help noticing this sentence: "And to her credit, Talan doesn't omit
the real risks of brain surgery." Isn't that to be expected of a good
journalist? I don't think you get extra credit for covering the risks as
well as the benefits -- though you should get major demerits if you don't!

Curmudgeonly,
Kathleen

2009/6/5 rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]>

> Book Review: Deep Brain Stimulation: A New Treatment Shows Promise in the
> Most Difficult Cases
> Review by Nathan Seppa
> By Jamie Talan
> June 20th, 2009; Vol.175 #13 (p. 29)
>
> Deep Brain Stimulation: A New Treatment Shows Promise in the Most Difficult
> Cases by Jamie Talan
>
> The very notion of having electrodes implanted in your brain would seem
> like science fiction - if 40,000 people hadn't already undergone the
> operation, most for Parkinson's disease.
>
> This book tells the story of heroic people - some on operating tables and
> others wielding scalpels and drills - and the lengths they've gone to in
> seeking to relieve devastating brain disorders. Talan describes decades of
> brain surgery aimed at addressing movement disorders and zeros in on
> deep-brain stimulation, a cutting-edge treatment in which doctors implant
> electrodes in the brain to reboot aberrant neural circuitry.
>
> Early efforts to treat neurological disorders that failed to respond to
> medication mostly involved finding the offending brain tissue and removing
> it. These efforts were hit-and-miss, offering relief only sometimes. More
> important, these attempts provided a road map of the brain. Technology used
> in heart pacemakers was modified to make tiny electrodes, and the use of
> brain scans with surgery has further advanced the practice of inserting
> electrodes, making deep-brain stimulation more effective, with fewer side
> effects.
>
> Talan cites several scientists' work, as mapping the brain and rearranging
> its signals has been a long, trying story of success with many fathers. And
> to her credit, Talan doesn't omit the real risks of brain surgery.
>
> Deep-brain stimulation has gained approval for Parkinson's treatment, and
> more recently for obsessive-compulsive disorder. It's currently being tested
> for other conditions in which medication may fail, including depression,
> Tourette's syndrome, epilepsy, pain and persistent vegetative state. It's a
> science still in the making and is well-described here.
> Dana Press, 2009, 176 p., $25.
>
> Rayilyn Brown
> Director AZNPF
> Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
> [log in to unmask]
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