Surgery for PD

Currently, no surgical operations provide a cure for Parkinson’s disease (PD), although they can offer benefits for some people by improving certain symptoms and sometimes reducing the need for medications. However, even following successful surgery, a person with PD is still required to take continuous medication.

The three areas of the brain currently targeted during PD surgery (see Figure, below) are:

• thalamus – can improve tremor
• globus pallidus – can improve levodopa-induced dyskinesia, rigidity and sometimes tremor
• subthalamic nucleus – can improve tremor, slowness and stiffness, and may allow PD medication to be reduced

New targets that may be helpful for treating people with PD are also being researched, including an area of the brain called the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN), which may be targeted to help relieve symptoms related to walking pattern (gait).

For more details about surgery in PD, please follow the links to the left of this page.

Cross-section of areas of the brain targeted during surgery for PD