Parkinson’s disease, the second-most-common degenerative disease in adults, currently has no cure. Thanks to deep-brain stimulation (DBS), however, these patients have been able to enjoy a return to normal activities—for the most part. Although not a life-threatening disease, sometimes the DBS solution can cause long-term complications, says José Fernández Villaseñor, MD, medical product manager for Freescale Semiconductor. Known as Dr. José, he is also an electrical engineer.

The problem, he says, rests with complications caused by DBS hardware. “Actually the [surgical] technique is not that complicated. It’s not as invasive as one would think,” says Dr. José. However, he says that reports indicate that up to 25.3% of patients experience a high rate of complications. And, up to 20% of those complications come from the hardware.

“There can be lead fractures, lead migrations, or short or open circuits,” which he says can cause chronic stimulation. The implanted electrodes can migrate in the brain. Because the electrodes are placed in the main core of the brain that controls primitive responses, any migration can cause the chronic stimulation.

“What we have found is that if you remove the electrodes, then the chronic stimulation is eliminated and the problem is solved. The problem is that once you set up the configuration of these electrodes internally in the brain, it’s really hard to avoid moving,” he explains. These complications can be addressed with a combination software and hardware semiconductor technology to take the place of the electrodes.

The software-hardware option can be easily accessible without having to submit the patient to another surgery. Rather, using radio-frequency (RF) communication and circuits that have a high level of accuracy, it provides the flexibility to change algorithms on a daily basis.

“Since there are a lot of primitive responses in that part of the brain, people suffer from apathy, hallucinations, and depression. We want to avoid [those responses], especially in elderly thinking,” says Dr. José. Last month was Parkinson’s month, sparking the doctor to blog about the disease and its future.

“So I think the technology will shift in the direction [of semiconductor solutions] to address the long-term complications,” he says. He points to miniaturization of MCUs and RF antennas, and says, “we’re not far away from this. The next step, he says, is to get buy-in from the surgeons and for device companies to develop devices that can get regulatory approval. “We are at the point at which technology is there. Now we have to push harder for the medical community and regulatory agencies to bring this to the market.”