At 40, Keith Krehbiel was a successful political scientist with a distinguished professorship, an award-winning book and a membership at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. But he also was experiencing a tremor and pain in his right hand that later spread to his arm. Two years later, a neurologist confirmed that Krehbiel had Parkinson’s disease. He was prescribed medications to help control motor symptoms since no cure exists for Parkinson’s disease. They, however, came with disabling side effects such as nausea, low blood pressure, compulsive behavior and gastrointestinal issues. Patients may also experience hallucinations, excessive daytime sleepiness and involuntary, erratic movements called dyskinesias as complications from some Parkinson’s medications. James McElroy, of Stockton, California, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at 47 and at one point was on 17 pills a day. About five years ago, Krehbiel and McElroy volunteered for an innovative non-pharmacological treatment for Parkinson’s disease, called adaptive deep brain stimulation. It aims to enhance deep brain stimulation, an existing treatment for the illness, with artificial intelligence.

Full commentary : Adaptive deep brain stimulation has virtually eliminated the most debilitating motor symptoms for some Parkinson’s patients and considerably improved their lives.