How brain stimulation alleviates symptoms of Parkinson’s disease

Persons with Parkinson’s disease increasingly lose their mobility over time and are eventually unable to walk. Hope for these patients rests on deep brain stimulation, also known as a brain pacemaker. In a current study, researchers investigated whether and how stimulation of a certain region of the brain can have a positive impact on ambulatory ability and provide patients with higher quality of life. To do this, the researchers used a technique in which the nerve cells are activated and deactivated via light.