Brain implant gave Parkinson 's patients more tremor - free hours daily than meds . Deep brain stimulation delivers electrical impulses to a central center . Surgery is expensive , with risks of infection , depression . In 1998 , Fox underwent a type of brain surgery called a thalamotomy , in which a tiny portion of brain tissue is destroyed . Treatment , introduced in 1990 , is more widely available .
Brain implant gave Parkinson 's patients more tremor - free hours daily than meds . Deep brain stimulation delivers electrical impulses to a central center . Surgery is expensive , with risks of infection , depression . Treatment , introduced in 1990 , is more widely available .