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Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Controlling Parkinson's Disease With Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation
Published on: July 16, 2014
Arachnophobia alleviated by subthalamic nucleus stimulation for Parkinson's disease
Niels Allert1, Sabrina M Gippert2, Bastian E A Sajonz3,4
1Neurological Rehabilitation Center Godeshoehe, Waldstrasse 2-10, 53177, Bonn, Germany. allert@godeshoehe.de.
Abstract:
We report on a Parkinson patient with motor fluctuations and dyskinesias in whom deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) not only improved motor symptoms but also pre-existing arachnophobia. Arachnophobia had been unchanged by the course of Parkinson's disease but rapidly improved with STN-DBS. Both, motor effects and the improvement of arachnophobia were stable during 2 years follow-up. To our knowledge this is the first report on STN stimulation effects on a specific phobia.
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