Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used for more than three decades to treat motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Today, more than 200,000 patients worldwide have been implanted with these systems, which continuously deliver electrical stimulation to specific deep-brain regions to reduce rigidity and tremor. Yet despite its clinical success, conventional deep brain stimulation remains limited in its ability to address one of the disease’s most disabling symptoms: walking impairments.

Researchers from EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) have developed a new approach, published in Nature Medicine, that adapts DBS in real time to the patient’s mobility in everyday situations. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the system continuously interprets the patient’s activity and adjusts stimulation in real time, improving walking, climbing stairs and even the simple act of standing up.