The role of neurologists in DBS treatment on Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Deep brain simulation (DBS) is a widely accepted surgical therapy for Parkinson's disease, dystonia and tremor in Japan. In other countries, DBS has been applied to neuropsychiatric or neurodegenerative diseases, such as Tourette syndrome, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, Alzheimer disease, etc. So far, these diseases have been treated mainly by neurologists or psychiatrists, however after the invention of DBS, neurosurgeons now play an important role in the treatment of these diseases, especially in Parkinson's disease. Several reports showed that better postoperative outcomes can be obtained when patient is managed by a neurologist who is responsible for stimulation programming and drug adjustments. The therapy should be done while adjusting both the drugs and the stimulation (DBS) simultaneously. Hence, neurologists should be familiar with programming of DBS, as well as the medical therapy.