Deep brain stimulation to treat Tourette’s tic

A BBC report http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-12370954

A man suffering from Tourette’s Syndrome will have deep brain stimulation to help reduce his involuntary tics. The pioneering form of brain surgery sends electrical impulses to control brain activity and has proved effective in treating Parkinson’s disease, cluster headaches and depression.

Tourette’s is a neurological disorder thought to occur if there is a problem with nerves communicating in the brain.For deep brain stimulation a local anaesthetic is used and electrodes are put into the brain through the skull. These are linked to a pacemaker-type battery in the patient’s chest then electrical impulses are sent to the brain to block the damaging signals.