A 75-year-old Denver resident, Kate Goes In Center, has become the first patient in North America to receive FDA-approved adaptive deep brain stimulation (aDBS) technology for Parkinson’s disease at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. The procedure took place on March 21, 2025, marking a significant milestone in the treatment of Parkinson’s.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) involves implanting electrodes into specific areas of the brain and delivering electrical pulses through a battery-powered generator placed below the collarbone. This technique aims to disrupt harmful signals from damaged neurons that cause symptoms such as tremor, slow movement, and rigidity in Parkinson’s patients.
Since its approval for Parkinson’s in 2002, DBS has improved quality of life for many patients. However, traditional DBS systems have limitations because they deliver constant stimulation regardless of changes in brain activity. This can lead to side effects like uncontrolled muscle movements or insufficient symptom control.
The newly approved aDBS system addresses these challenges by using sensors to detect real-time brain activity and adjust stimulation accordingly. Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine developed a key method called monopolar sensing, which helps clinicians identify optimal sites for stimulation and enables dynamic adjustment based on detected brain signals.
Kate volunteered for the new technology after her symptoms became difficult to manage with medication alone. Her partner, David Julie, explained: “She was not getting consistent control of her symptoms with medication, and so Dr. Kern suggested DBS. She thought about it for close to a year, and decided to do it. She considered different vendors, and she liked this one because it has sensing, and it had the future potential for adapting the stimulation, and so that was why she chose it.”
On activation day at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital—one of 23 U.S. medical centers initially offering aDBS—Kate underwent tests both off medication and while using her existing DBS device settings. When switched to adaptive mode targeting harmful beta wave frequencies in her brain, her tremors stopped immediately and motor skills improved.
Dr. Drew Kern told Kate during the procedure: “Your brain is telling this device what to do – when you need it and when you don’t need it.” Asked how she felt afterward, Kate responded: “A lot better than when I came in,” noting improvements in strength and coordination.
Research led by Drs. Kern and John Thompson indicates that monopolar sensing reduces initial programming time from over two hours to just 18 minutes while increasing precision. Dr. Kern said: “It’s better than I can get done in a clinical setting.” He also estimated that combining this efficiency with aDBS could reduce medication needs by up to 75%, potentially lowering long-term care costs for Parkinson’s patients.
While only six additional patients were scheduled for programming at UCHealth following Kate’s procedure, approximately 40,000 people worldwide already have devices compatible with adaptive technology implanted.
Kern emphasized ongoing research into further applications of aDBS: other abnormal brain frequencies may be targeted in future updates; contextual data from daily living patterns could inform device adjustments; studies are underway regarding improvements in sleep and gait among Parkinson’s patients.
Reflecting on her experience with advanced technology after years struggling with changing symptoms due to Parkinson’s disease—and looking forward to spending more active time with family—Kate said: “This really makes a difference. I feel like I can do anything,” adding: “It gives me hope.”
