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Didn't see the 20/20 segment, but Don had thalamic stimulation surgery in Grenoble in June 1994. The electrodes were placed in the intermediate nucleus of the thalamus; stimulators (Don had bilateral surgery) were implanted in the chest (subclavical area). The stimulation does disrupt (rather than stimulate) the neuron flow. The surgery is effective for controlling tremor, but doesn't have much effect on other symptoms. Currently, the same technique (now called DBS--deep brain stimulation) is being used in the subthalamus and seems to alleviate most symptoms, not only tremor. Joanne Sandstrom [log in to unmask]