A woman living with Parkinson’s disease played her clarinet while undergoing brain stimulation, offering surgeons immediate, audible evidence of the procedure’s success.
Denise Bacon, 65, from Crowborough in East Sussex, experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as the electrical current was delivered.
The retired speech and language therapist underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) to combat symptoms of Parkinson’s, including bradykinesia and muscle stiffness.
Diagnosed in 2014, the condition had previously affected her ability to walk, swim, dance, and play her instrument.
During a four-hour operation at King’s College Hospital, Keyoumars Ashkan, a professor of neurosurgery, performed DBS to help relieve symptoms while Bacon stayed awake, The Independent reported on Tuesday.
DBS is a surgical procedure using electrodes implanted in the brain and is suitable for some patients with disorders such as Parkinson’s.
The DBS led to instant results on the operating table. Denise had immediate improvement in her fingers, allowing her to play the clarinet easily.
Ashkan said: “Holes half the size of a five pence piece were made in Denise’s skull after a frame with precise coordinates was placed on Denise’s head, acting as a sat nav to guide us to the correct positions within the brain to implant the electrode.”
He added: “Once the electrodes were in place on the left side of Denise’s brain, the current was switched on and an immediate improvement was noted in hand movements on her right side.”
The professor confirmed that “the same happened on her left side when we implanted electrodes on the right side of her brain.”
He noted that “as a keen clarinettist, it was suggested that Denise bring her clarinet into the operating theater to see whether the procedure would improve her ability to play, which was one of Denise’s main goals for the surgery.”
“We were delighted to see an instant improvement in her hand movements, and therefore her ability to play, once stimulation was delivered to the brain,” Ashkan said.
