Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor, a nervous system disorder that also causes involuntary shaking, can be very debilitating and to date, there have been few effective treatments. Recently, many patients have obtained relief by having incisionless brain surgery, called focused ultrasound. A recent study found that focused ultrasound reduced tremors by 38-50% for people with essential tremor and for those with Parkinson’s disease it eased tremors, muscle rigidity and uncontrolled movements caused by the Parkinson’s medication levodopa by 76%. The therapy is currently FDA-approved for treating symptoms on one side of the body, and studies of bilateral procedures are on the way.
