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Neurostimulation through electrodes implanted in the brain's subthalamic nucleus usually is reserved for patients with advanced Parkinson disease who have motor fluctuations and dyskinesias. In this trial from Germany and France, funded partly by the device manufacturer, researchers examined the effects of neurostimulation earlier in the disease's course.
Researchers randomly assigned 251 relatively young Parkinson disease patients (age, ≤60; mean age, 53) who had motor fluctuations and dyskinesias for <3 years to either neurostimulation plus drug therapy or drug therapy alone. At baseline, the mean score on a validated 100-point PD-related quality-of-life questionnaire was 30 in both groups. During 2 years of follow-up, mean scores improved…