Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease: A case for patient empowerment

I am a 52-year-old right-handed man, diagnosed with Parkinson's disease aged 40 years. In early 2020, my levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD) of 1375  mg comprised levodopa/carbidopa/entacapone, pramipexole, amantadine and selegiline; daytime levodopa frequency was 2–3 hourly. Unfortunately, medication was no longer adequately controlling my symptoms, with breakthrough bradykinesia, gait disturbance, impaired verbal fluency and dyskinesia. My Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS)-III scores were 40 (medication-off) and 8 (medication-on).
Source: BRAIN STIMULATION: Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research in Neuromodulation - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research