For people who fail to respond to conventional therapies, deep brain stimulation may be used, wherein electrodes are implanted in the brain and attached to a small battery in the chest. The electrical impulses delivered to the brain help to relieve many of the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia.[1]
Since tremors are associated with dysfunctional neuron signaling in the thalamus region of the brain, treatments that target the thalamus are often used for people who have tremor-predominant Parkinson’s disease, a subtype associated with tremors but a lack of muscle rigidity or bradykinesia. MRI-guided focused ultrasound may be used to burn tissue in or around the thalamus, or less commonly, thalamotomy, which involves the surgical severing of nerve fibers in the thalamus.
Occupational therapy may also be prescribed as a treatment to promote improved quality of life and recover or maintain function for daily living or work.[2]