The Impact of Deep Brain Stimulation on the Cognitive Ability of Patients with Parkinson Disease

As Marras et al’s estimation predicted in 2018, the number of patients with the Parkinson’s Disease (PD) would be approximately 0.93 million in 2020 and would grow to 1.23 million in 2030. This is more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The prevalence of the Parkinson’s Disease not only adds great obstacles to the patients’ life, but also poses intense financial burden on the families and the taxpayers. Lewin Group Inc’s research in 2019 concluded that the direct medical cost of Parkinson’s Disease in America is $25.4 million, while the non-medical cost is $26.5 million dollar. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery was first approved in 1997 to treat Parkinson’s Disease (PD) tremor, then in 2002 for the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s. Although numerous studies showed the alleviation of dyskinesias, studying Deep Brain Stimulation’s influence on the patients’ cognitive abilities is helpful for determining whether DBS can sustain the quality of life of the patients.