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June 2015

Special Issue on Ethics / ISTAS 2015

Informed Consent for Deep Brain Stimulation

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a therapy used to relieve the symptoms of movement disorders, specifically dystonia, essential tremor, and the effects of Parkinson disease. It is currently also being studied for a wide variety of psychiatric illnesses.

DBS is complicated to employ, requiring the coordinated effort of a team of health care professionals, chiefly a neurosurgeon, a neurologist, and a neuropsychologist.

What should a patient know before they allow a physician to control a part of their brain? What are the ramifications of this widely used DBS therapy?

Vol. 34, No. 2

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