Patient with Parkinson’s plays clarinet during brain surgery | ABC NEWS

Denise Bacon, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2014, underwent a 4-hour deep brain stimulation procedure to ease slowness and stiffness that had affected her walking, swimming, dancing and clarinet playing.

The awake brain operation, conducted at King’s College Hospital in London, involved Denise playing the clarinet so a medical team could assess results of the procedure in real time.

“I’m feeling really pleased that I’m getting towards being able to play the clarinet again,” Bacon said during an interview after the operation.

According to Health Direct, Parkinson’s disease occurs when the “nerve cells in the brain don’t make enough of a body chemical called dopamine, which affects movement and mood”.

Dopamine plays a vital role in regulating the smooth control of muscles and movement, and so typical symptoms can include tremors, stiff and inflexible muscles and slow movement.

Professor Keyoumars Ashkan, the neurosurgeon leading the procedure, said such surgeries are performed with the patient awake to immediately assess improvements in speed, stiffness and tremor. “In Denise’s case, one of her clear goals was to play the clarinet again, so the best way to assess that was to have her play during the operation to test finger movements and speed.”

National peak body, Parkinson’s Australia, estimates more than 150,000 Australians currently live with the disease, which progressively worsens over time and has no known cure, with treatment focusing on managing symptoms.

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