[QUOTE=lurkingforacure;1168721]I thought the purpose of this procedure was to sever a connection (ie, interrupt a circuit) in the brain, which is accomplished by destroying some cells...not necessarily target the STN for destruction. Now, are those cells in the STN abnormal? I didn't think so, and have never heard of this before.
And saying those cells in the STN must be abnormal or we wouldn't have PD is assuming they are the cause of PD, and I have never heard of that before, either. If that's true, why doesn't this procedure work for all PWP and abolish all symptoms?

QUOTE]

Lurking, this has become a very interesting discussion and probably time for us to get some direct feedback from the manufacturer and researchers. I'm going to send them emails for comment.

Regarding my comments, I never said the target was the Substantial Nigra. I said it was a subthalatomy targeting the subthalmic nucleus ,which is another part of the basil ganglia and next to the substantia nigra. However, I was incorrect in that regard as the video was from the Maryland U study, not the larger ongoing Virginia U study. The Maryland study (also being conducted at the U of Va) is targeting the Globus Pallidum, which is also a component of the basil ganglia near the substantia nigra.

In both studies, the procedure destroys tissue in the targeted area. That is a fact as reported by both the manufacturer, Insightec, and the research teams at both universities. So, I guess, back to your initial question, are the cells being destroyed "normal" functioning brain cells or "abnormal" in some way? That is the question I've asked the them in my email.

I will update with any responses I receive.