Rewiring Faulty Circuits in the Brain

摘要

For some patients with severe movement disorders like Parkinson's disease, years of struggle and frustration end with a flip of a switch that sends pulses of electric current through electrodes implanted deep inside the brain. Although it's considered only as a last resort for patients who've failed to respond to less invasive treatments, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has helped more than 55,000 people suffering from Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, or dystoniarnregain control of their bodies and their lives. But despite the many success stories, remarkably little is known about how DBS works. Two studies in rodent models of Parkinson's disease published this week by Science provide some intriguing clues-and underscore how much remains to be figured out.