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Hi JJoan, As you know, I am coonsidering DBS, thogu nothing is happening as yet - I don' teven know if I quallilfy. And one thing that Dr Henderson said in your letter sent up an immediate red fflag: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Another type of > stimulation surgery which targets a small area called the subthalamic > nucleus could potentially be of help, but we are just now getting > involved in controlled studies of this technology for which the entry > criteria are very restrictive (i.e., no prior surgery). Plus, I'm not > convinced that this operation is particularly benign, especially from > a "cognitive" standpoint. > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you know what he is referring to; is it possible to find out? I'd rather shake, and think, than be physically comfortable ,yet be like some of those early frontal lobotomy cases. I feel like my IQ has dropped as it is, and certainly, wwhen I was tested for employability a few years ago, my math ability was stuck somewhere in long division - but the idea of doing surgery is to get it back - or some of it, anyway. I need to know if I'm going to turn into a gibbering idiot!!!!! And my music; I used to be a competent pianist and accompanist. I have a theory that the "masking" effect is what makes my playing wooden now - no expression or feeling. Not to mention the horrendous loss of technique and mobility, thanks to the rigidity, the distonia, and the ultimate shrinkage of the tendons. And of course, not being able to do a number of thing at the same time- how do you accompany somebody, read their part, read your part and simplify it for your parkinsonian hand all at once, when you can only do one thing at a time. I had fond hopes of getting some of that back too. Now Dr Henderson indicates here may be impairment of cognitive functions. That is really scary. I would appreciate having references so that I could check that out. Hilary Blue (49/16)