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[Toni Molina <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Info sub-talamo stimulation] Information below from the Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 1995 Electrical stimulation of the brain region called the thalamus has been done for a number of years, but its benefits are limited. There is a new pilot procedure called "pallidal brain stimulation" being performed by the University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Neurology and the Department of Neurosurgery. A half-dollar-size electronic pulse generator is implanted into the chest. From this device a thin wire electrode is run under the skin of the neck and up deep into the center of the brain to the region called globus pallidus, The patient can turn on the pulse generator by placing a magnet on the skin above the device, sending an electric current to the brain, jamming nerve signals from the globus pallidus. Advantages of electrical stimulation are no brain tissue is destroyed by surgery. The current can be adjusted to minimize side effects. And if adverse effects are caused, the generator can be turned off. In the local PD newsletter for Spring 1996 it is reported by Dr. William Koller that five cases of pallidal stimulation have been performed with good results to date. Barbara Blake-Krebs [log in to unmask]