A 65-year-old Parkinson’s disease patient played the clarinet during brain surgery, allowing surgeons to witness immediate improvement in her hand movements after electrical stimulation was applied.

Denise Bacon, a retired speech and language therapist from Crowborough, East Sussex, had struggled with muscle stiffness and slowed movements since her 2014 Parkinson’s diagnosis, which affected walking, swimming, dancing, and playing her clarinet.

During a four-hour operation at King’s College Hospital, Professor Keyoumars Ashkan MBE performed Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), a surgical procedure for patients with treatment-resistant movement disorders. Electrodes were implanted in Denise’s brain and connected to a pulse generator delivering electrical impulses to regulate brain activity.

The results were immediate. As the current was applied, Denise’s finger movements improved, allowing her to play the clarinet with greater ease.

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.” Small holes were made in Denise’s skull using a frame “acting as a sat nav” to guide electrode placement precisely.

As a keen clarinetist, Denise had brought her instrument into the operating room to test her ability mid-surgery. She recalled, “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.”

Denise also reported improvements in walking and hopes to return to swimming and dancing soon. The implanted rechargeable generator in her chest can last up to 20 years and automatically adjusts stimulation based on her brain activity.