Parkinson’s patient plays clarinet during brain operation

A woman with Parkinson’s disease played the clarinet during brain surgery, allowing doctors to observe immediate improvements in her movement.

Denise Bacon, 65, from Crowborough in East Sussex, underwent Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) at King’s College Hospital while awake. Her playing helped surgeons assess the success of the procedure in real time.

DBS involves implanting electrodes into targeted brain regions to deliver electrical impulses that modify abnormal brain activity and reduce movement symptoms.

It is offered to patients whose Parkinson’s symptoms no longer respond well to medication.

Bacon remained awake throughout the operation, receiving local anaesthetic to numb her scalp and skull.

As the brain itself has no pain receptors, surgeons were able to monitor her symptoms during the procedure.

“I remember my right hand being able to move with much more ease once the stimulation was applied, and this in turn improved my ability to play the clarinet, which I was delighted with,” she said.

“I’m already experiencing improvements in my ability to walk, and I’m keen to get back in the swimming pool and on the dance floor to see if my abilities have improved there.”

The retired speech and language therapist had lived with slowness of movement, known as bradykinesia, and stiffness since her diagnosis in 2014.

These symptoms had affected her walking, swimming, dancing and her ability to play the clarinet in the East Grinstead Concert Band.

During the four-hour operation, professor of neurosurgery Keyoumars Ashkan MBE and his team made holes in Bacon’s skull about half the size of a five pence piece.

A frame fitted with precise coordinates was used as a navigation system to guide the placement of the electrodes.

The improvement was immediate. When electrical current was delivered to the left side of her brain, movement improved in her right hand.

The same occurred on her left side once electrodes were implanted in the right hemisphere.

Professor Ashkan said: “Deep Brain Stimulation, where stimulating electrodes are placed into the deep structures of the brain, is a long-established procedure to improve motor symptoms in patients with movement disorders.

“Holes half the size of a five pence piece were made in Denise’s skull after a frame with precise coordinates was placed on Denise’s head, acting as a sat nav to guide us to the correct positions within the brain to implant the electrode.

“Once the electrodes were in place on the left side of Denise’s brain, the current was switched on and an immediate improvement was noted in hand movements on her right side.

“The same happened on her left side when we implanted electrodes on the right side of her brain.

“As a keen clarinettist, it was suggested Denise bring her clarinet into the operating theatre to see whether the procedure would improve her ability to play, which was one of Denise’s main goals for the surgery.

“We were delighted to see an instant improvement in her hand movements, and therefore her ability to play, once stimulation was delivered to the brain.”