John Morgan received a unique gift for his 51st birthday – becoming the first person in the UK to benefit from new technology to relieve his Parkinson’s symptoms.
For 2.5 years John, who lives in Cardiff and works in Bristol, has had deep brain stimulation (DBS) to help control his symptoms, but in January additional functionality was switched on in the device, at Southmead Hospital’s Bristol Brain Centre, to make it adapt to the electrical signals in his brain.
And already the adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation (aDBS) has given John smoother movement control throughout the day and allowed him to reduce his medication.
The development came after CE Mark approval was given in January to enable the additional adaptive technology, developed by Medtronic, to be used in patients in Europe and the UK, with North Bristol NHS Trust’s Brain Centre the first in the UK to start switching on this capability in patients in January, with other centres following shortly after.
DBS in itself is not new, having been used for about 30 years to transmit electrical signals to the brain to improve movement in people with Parkinson’s. The latest adaptive technology enables the device (that sits in the patient’s chest and is connected through wiring to the brain) to read an individual’s brainwave activity and respond accordingly to manage symptoms in real-time, creating a uniquely personalised approach to treatment.
John was diagnosed with Parkinson’s almost 20 years ago, at the age of 33, by which point he had been showing very subtle symptoms of Parkinson’s for a few years.
Over time the condition has progressed causing John slowness of movement, which is associated with having Parkinson’s. Whilst the medication is effective in symptom control, it commonly has a side effect which causes ‘dyskinesia’ (that can be described as jerky, involuntary movements which can be as debilitating as the Parkinson’s symptoms themselves). The benefit of DBS is that it allows a reduction in medication which will often reduce these side effects.
John said DBS had already been “life-changing” for him, and helped give him the confidence and capability to continue his work as a lawyer.
“I feel very lucky and fortunate that the Bristol Brain Centre has thought of me as an eligible patient,” John said. “Having the new adaptive DBS means that the level of stimulation to my brain adjusts itself 24 hours a day, so if I am waiting for medication to take effect, the aDBS device will make a subtle increase in stimulation to the brain which will improve movement. It really is incredible technology.”
John also said, “Given the side-effects, the aim is to look at ways of reducing medication in patients with Parkinson’s, but without compromising the therapeutic value. DBS had already allowed me to do this which has reduced the side-effects and smoothed out my symptoms, but the aDBS has allowed a further reduction.”
John added: “Having adaptive DBS often feels as though I don’t have Parkinson’s. I know I do, and the condition will continue to progress. But to know that I am at the forefront of technology gives me more hope for the future.”
John’s consultant, neurologist Dr Mihaela Boca, said: “We are so pleased to have been able to offer this advanced treatment to John and other patients so that they can benefit from their DBS responding to their own brain signals in real-time.
“It has been fantastic to see results in John already, his walking and movement control have improved. The adaptive DBS also allowed us to reduce the medication he needs to manage symptoms, which in turn reduces the side effects associated with those drugs.
“Through our collaboration with Medtronic, we are proud to have been the first UK centre to turn on this technology in our patients and are looking forward to seeing how others benefit over the coming months and years.”