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Our Current Science Review ("CSR") is designed to summarize the most recent research on DBS to the general public in a comprehensive, yet simplified fashion. Due to copyright laws we are not allowed to put full articles on the website, but we want to provide the reader with understandable snippets of what is going on in the research world.  The CSR will be updated monthly to keep you informed of further insights into DBS therapy, including DBS advances, limitations, strengths, and weaknesses.  We try to monitor "hot topics" in research and provide such information to our readers.

The idea for our CSR is structured after the valuable service that Joe Bruman offered to the Parkinson's community. In 1994, when the Web was in its infancy, Joe began publishing an easy-to-read overview of published science and medical news on Parkinson's disease. He updated it monthly until his death in 2003. We acknowledge Joe's contribution, and our researchers are continuing his tradition for the DBS-STN community. As Joe has eloquently stated on his site, "CSR items describe current work which may or may NOT prove to be important. Each one is just a piece of the big PD jigsaw puzzle. … CSR provides an inkling of where we are, what lies ahead."

A few other points are noteworthy:

  1. Should you desire a copy of the full article, the articles that we review are available most often for a fee (ranges from $15-50) online or through medical or public libraries (fees will vary).  The fees are set up by the journal in which it is published. DBS-STN.org or the Parkinson's Alliance is not affiliated with these journals, and we do not receive any money from the purchase of any article.
  2. We provide a link to a website (www.pubmed.com) that will help the reader find the article online.  If you go to www.pubmed.com through the link on our website to search for an article in which you are interested, you should be brought directly to that article's information.  Usually on the upper left hand area of the screen there will be 1-2 buttons that will say something to the effect of "click here to read" or "full text pdf," and the name of the journal will be listed.  Click on one of those buttons and you should be redirected to the journals website (e.g. Neurology, Movement Disorders, etc). 
  3. Most of the journal websites are pretty self explanatory on how to order the journal and are upfront about their fees.  It may be possible to order the article through your local library, which will vary from library to library.  Some hospitals may also allow patients to make a copy of an article that is available in their medical libraries.  This will also vary per hospital, and you can find out about a hospital's resources by asking the hospital libraries directly.

The information contained in our CSR is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.

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Science Review Archives

Current Science Review — Nov/Dec 2011

Ahlberg E, Laakso K, Hartelius L.. Perceived Changes in Communication as an Effect of STN Surgery in Parkinson's Disease: A Qualitative Interview Study.. , Parkinsons Dis. 2011;2011:540158. Epub 2011 Aug 14.

Click here to read a longer version of this review.

This article looked at the impressions/perspectives of four people with Parkinson’s disease (PWP) that underwent DBS-STN and had improvements in motor symptoms (increased mobility and reduced tremor) but also subsequent changes in their speech.  The article begins by listing what research has shown regarding how speech is affected by PD (“hypokinetic dysarthria, weakness, breathiness, monotony, imprecise articulation, and variable rate”) as well as by DBS-STN (variable findings, “improved phonatory and articulatory components,” reduced “speech intelligibility.”  All four of the individuals indicated that they believed that the surgery was life improving and that it was their only option for improvement.  The authors also looked at the impressions of the four individuals and ran analyses that looked for themes that ran through the PWP.  They found three main themes:

1. All four PWP experienced negative speech side effects, including:
  • Re-emergence of childhood stuttering
  • Dysarthria
  • Reduced intelligibility
  • Worsened micrographia
  • Mental Fatigue
  • Reduced concentration
  • Weak/Monotonous Voice
  • Hollow sounding speech
  • Reduction in feeling comfortable when talking with others
  • Worsening of experienced speech problems when fatigued or anxious
2.  All found ways to improve communication, including:
  • Slowing rate of speech.
  • Increase volume of speech.
  • Adjusting schedule to maximize their good speech times.
  • Having supportive others to assist when needed.
  • Adjusting medications.
  • Adjusting stimulator settings.
3.  Mixed feelings about the surgery:
  • Worsening of motor symptoms necessitated surgical intervention.
  • Expectations varied so there was some disappointment but no regrets of having the surgery.
  • Wanting more information both pre and post-surgery, such as talking with PWP who have undergone DBS-STN.
  • Uncertainty about what the future holds.
This paper concludes that there is a significant amount of individual variability in what each PWP experiences due to their PD as well as variability in the adverse events experienced after one undergoes DBS-STN.  It was also pointed out that this group wished they were more informed before and after the surgery, suggesting continued patient education is very necessary by researchers as well as medical professionals.  Lastly, we should be reminded by this study and others like it that the perception of the PWP should not be ignored as those individuals are living with the disease as well as any adverse events from the treatments and that their opinions directly relate to their quality of life and that their voices must be heard. 

This article was available free through PubMed as of this writing November 2011.  After clicking the link below, it will take you to the abstract page.  Once there, two bubble shaped boxes are located towards the top of the page listed as “Free full text article at Hindawi” or “Free full text article in PubMed Central.” Either button will take you directly to the full article.

Click here for the PubMed Abstract