As new treatment options are being continually investigated and trialed against Parkinson’s disease, the possibilities offered by deep brain stimulation (DBS) risk being overlooked. Though not a cure, the therapy could vastly improve the quality of life for patients with the disease.

Abbott Laboratories received U.S. FDA approval for its Liberta RC deep brain stimulation (DBS) system for use in movement disorders, less than two weeks after the agency gave its nod to Medtronic’s Percept RC DBS system. The news come on the heels of Abbott’s release of strong fourth quarter results on Wednesday.

A first-in-human clinical trial conducted by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic demonstrated that deep brain stimulation (DBS) applied to the dentate nucleus region of the cerebellum could help patients recover function in their upper extremities up to three years after a stroke. Results of the study were published in Nature Medicine.

PARIS – Aleva Neurotherapeutics SA reported the first successful implantation of its Directstim directional deep brain stimulation (DBS) system into a patient suffering from Parkinson’s disease. The procedure involving this new generation of active brain device was performed by neurosurgeon Stephan Sobottka, from the Clinic for Neurosurgery at the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden, Germany.

Boston Scientific Corp. has received a thumbs up from the U.S. FDA for its fourth-generation Vercise Genus deep brain stimulation (DBS) system. The neuromodulation device, which comes in both rechargeable and nonrechargeable versions, is intended to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Vercise Genus is indicated for use in the bilateral stimulation of subthalamic nucleus as an adjunctive therapy in alleviating some of the symptoms of moderate to advanced lepodova-responsive Parkinson’s disease that are not adequately controlled by medication. It also has indications for bilateral stimulation of the globus pallidus.

Medtronic plc reported that the first patient has been enrolled in the Adaptive DBS Algorithm for Personalized Therapy in Parkinson's Disease (ADAPT-PD) study its trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This type of stimulation is an investigational feature of the Percept PC device that could be enabled if approved.

Dublin-based Medtronic plc received a CE mark for its Percept PC neurostimulator to treat neurologic disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. It is the first deep brain stimulation system launched in the EU that integrates the company’s technology to sense and record brain signals, known as Brainsense. It’s intended to enable more personalized treatment driven by that data.