In the sixth episode of its summer series «Hinab – das Wissenschaftsmagazin sucht die Tiefe» (Downwards – the science magazine seeks depth), SRF's science magazine accompanies a patient who is having two electrodes implanted in both hemispheres of his brain at the Inselspital, Bern University Hospital.
Deep within the thalamus in the diencephalon lies the hub of a neural network that controls motor function. Brain surgeons stimulate this hub with electricity to alleviate movement disorders. The procedure is called deep brain stimulation (DBS).
SRF accompanies a patient who undergoes a five-hour procedure performed by a team of neurosurgeons led by Prof. Claudio Pollo at Inselspital, during which two electrodes are implanted ten centimeters below the skull in both hemispheres of the brain. A battery in the patient's chest then sends regular electrical impulses to these electrodes for deep brain stimulation.
Science magazine – SRF: The brain-stimulated patient, August 6, 2022 Radio SRF 2 Culture
The podcast was recorded in German.