When the battery powering a Parkinson's patient's brain implant runs out, symptoms come back. A multicenter study from Turkey suggests that for most people, the result is a rough stretch rather than a medical emergency. For a small number, though, it can mean intensive care.
Researchers at Marmara University in Istanbul and Eskişehir Osmangazi University reviewed records for 210 people with Parkinson's disease treated with deep brain stimulation, or DBS. Of those, 28 (13.3%) had their stimulation shut off. Only three, or 1.4% of the full group, developed a severe DBS withdrawal syndrome that required treatment in an intensive care unit. The retrospective study was published on Feb. 23, 2026, in the peer-reviewed journal Diagnostics.
