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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] > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto: > [log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn