A new study of young cerebral palsy patients at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, found that a stimulation of the deep parts of the brain relieves dystonia symptoms. The hospital conducted deep brain stimulation in six patients who were eight to 26 years old and who each had a birth brain injury. After the study, doctors said the patients experienced improved dystonia scores, after deep brain stimulation. The children experienced the greatest improvement of cerebral palsy symptoms in their arms, according to one doctor involved with the study.
The study found that deep brain stimulation assisted with the youngest of patients more so than the older patients, probably due to the fact that older cerebral palsy patients experience more fixed impairments.
One thing to note about this study is that it was a small study of only six patients at one medical facility. However, the results do provide hope for many young cerebral palsy patients with low dystonia scores. Many physicians agree that more research is needed in this area before sweeping generalizations can be made about deep brain stimulation.
