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Dear All, I detect yet more confusion over the issue of deep brain stimulation. The confusion is apparently over what is FDA-approved and what is actually being performed in certain hospitals in the USA. Here are the facts: In order for Medtronic, or other companies, to obtain FDA approval for a particular use of one of their devices (in this case implantation of their deep brain stimulator into either the globus pallidus (GP) or the subthalamic nucleus (STN)) they must demonstrate that the procedure is safe and effective. They do this by performing experiments on humans, commonly known as "clinical trials". By the time that the procedures are performed in clinical trials, the safety has been established, but the effectiveness may not be confirmed. This is what is happening in the US hospitals that are implanting the Medtronic device in the STN and/or GP. They are part of the clinical trials for Medtronic, or possibly other companies. The procedures are definitely NOT FDA-approved. You could say that the procedures are FDA-sanctioned. Because the procedures are not yet approved, they are termed "investigational". Investigational procedures are often NOT covered by insurance. And so, the bottom line is, yes, you can get a dbs in the STN or GP, but you may have to pay for the procedure yourself. If you are part of a clinical trial, the company will probably pay for the device itself, but will probably not pay for the actual surgery or other hospital expenses. Also, you will be assigned into experimental groupings that may not be ideal for your symptoms (because, after all, these are experiments and the best procedure is not known yet). Again, thalamic stimulation for tremor is the only approved use for the DBS, but the other two target sites, the GP and STN will probably be approved within 1-2 years. Andy