Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an effective and safe treatment for motor symptoms in patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. In addition to motor symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, and slowness of movement, communication deficits such as soft speech, using a monotone voice, mumbling, and difficulties with word-finding can affect individuals living with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. While ultimately regarded as safe, DBS can yield noticeable declines in verbal fluency, which affects how fast words can be retrieved and generated.
In a recent study published in the Annals of Neurology, UAB researchers in the Department of Neurology, Department of Neurosurgery, Department of Physical Therapy, and the School of Public Health discovered how unilateral brain stimulation impacts cognitive functions, including verbal fluency. Specifically, they found that right hemisphere stimulation over the course of the study did not yield declines in verbal fluency, compared to left hemisphere implants where verbal fluency declines were observed. The left hemisphere findings are consistent with the standard practice of bilateral DBS in people with Parkinson’s disease.