A 17-year-old Pennsylvania boy with Gilles de la Tourette’s tics was dramatically reduced by experimental brain surgery.
Callum deQuevedo was plagued with severe tics for three years, including shouting, swearing and hitting himself on the head.
The successful operation involved inserting a device called a neurostimulator under Callum’s collarbone, which sends a current to his head, creating electrical impulses that block the abnormal nerve signals that cause tics.
The experimental technique is most commonly used to treat Parkinson’s and has already reversed symptoms of the brain disorder in patients in the UK.
Doctors, guided by an MRI scanner, drilled two holes into Callum’s skull. An electrode is then implanted there, which is connected to a thin insulated wire that is passed under the skin of the head, neck and shoulder. Then a stopwatch-sized chip was inserted near his collarbone that connected to the wire in his brain. This chip emits electrical impulses that block the abnormal nerve signals that cause tics. Callum now adjusts the strength of his impulses with an app
Callum’s mother, Dawn deQuevedo, said it took more than seven months of seeing around 30 doctors to get a diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome
Dr. Ted Panov at Mount Sinai West in New York performed the procedure in December.
A few weeks later, dr. Joohi Jimenez-Shahed, Tourette’s leading expert, controlled the levels of current sent to Callum’s brain, which he was eventually able to do himself with a remote control.
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Callum’s improvement was gradual but life-changing.
He told CBS News after the procedure, “I just felt like it was the best thing I’ve felt in a long time.”
“I feel more relaxed now. It’s nice that I don’t have to keep moving to distract myself or stop the tics. I can watch TV in my house without worrying about screaming, hitting myself, hitting myself or anything like that.”
Experimental surgery is most commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease, a brain disorder characterized by involuntary or uncontrollable movements such as tremors, stiffness, and problems with balance and coordination.
Callum’s tics were similar to Parkinson’s. These include shouting, cursing and hitting yourself in the head, head jerking, face grinding and growling.
He would also sometimes wake up screaming in the middle of the night, while at times he would feel as if he was suffocating and unable to breathe.
Callum’s condition particularly worsened when he was 14 years old.
His mother, Dawn deQuevedo, said, “So the next day he sent him to school and the nurse called and said, ‘Listen, he’s really struggling to breathe.’ So every day that week the nurse called and said, “There’s something wrong.”
At the time, no one knew it was a tick. Callum’s parents took their son to an ear, nose and throat clinic where he was diagnosed with a vocal cord disorder.
But a speech therapist recognized Callum’s condition was beyond their expertise, so he was taken to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
It took about 30 doctors over seven months to get a diagnosis of Tourette’s syndrome.
Even after the diagnosis, Callum struggled with his mental health to the point of attempting suicide.
The treatment is called deep brain stimulation and works like a pacemaker.
Doctors drilled two holes in Callum’s skull, guided by an MRI scanner, to determine where in his brain would be most receptive to treatment.
An electrode is then implanted there, which is connected to a thin insulated wire that is passed under the skin of the head, neck and shoulder.
Callum’s violent tics, such as shouting, swearing and hitting himself on the head, tormented him for three years
Doctors drilled two holes in Callum’s skull to insert a small lead into his brain. They used MRI to measure the exact positioning that would be most effective in reducing his tics
The wires are connected to a stopwatch-sized conductor that is surgically implanted near the collarbone.
A few days after the operation, Callum returned to the doctors, where dr. Jimenez-Shahed remotely launched the chip to send electrical impulses through the wires to the brain and adjust levels to optimal levels.
The electrical impulses block the abnormal nerve signals that cause Callum’s tics.
He can now adjust the strength of the impulses himself via the app and said his tics have decreased by 70 percent since the device was implanted.
Dr. Panov said further improvements will follow in the coming months.
He said, “The brain is smarter than anything we can ever imagine, and the brain can get that help from this device and start learning with the device.”
Gilles de la Tourette is believed to affect more than half a million Americans and 300,000 Britons, most of whom are children.
The exact cause of the condition is unknown and is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
The condition usually begins in childhood, between the ages of two and fourteen. Half of patients report that their symptoms improve with age, while for others they disappear completely.
In rare cases, it can occur later in life due to “reactivation” of childhood tics or psychiatric or genetic disorders, as well as damaged areas of brain tissue.
There is currently no cure for the syndrome, but treatment – such as therapy and medication – can help manage the symptoms.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
