India carries one of the world’s heaviest burdens of Parkinson’s disease. What it doesn’t carry—at least not yet—is enough awareness about a remarkable solution that sounds like science fiction but is quietly changing lives: the “brain pacemaker.” Unlike the familiar heart pacemaker, this one doesn’t keep your pulse steady—it helps your body remember how to move.
At Medanta, Gurugram, neurosurgeon Anirban Deep Banerjee has been using deep brain stimulation (DBS) to help patients reclaim lives that seemed to be slipping away. For many, the transformation is not dramatic in a cinematic sense—it is far more meaningful. It is the ability to walk straight, sign a cheque, or simply hold a cup of tea without a tremor turning it into a balancing act.
Beyond Science Fiction
Take Kajal Baran Majumdar, a retired banker from Kolkata. Parkinson’s, unfortunately, ran in the family. “My father had it, so I always knew I might get it too,” he says with quiet acceptance. What he perhaps didn’t anticipate was how quickly the disease would close in on his independence. By his early 50s, the symptoms had begun. By retirement, they had begun to take over. A man who loved to walk found himself bent over, inching towards immobility. Retirement, instead of being a reward, was threatening to become a restraint.
Then came a memory—and a lifeline. A colleague, Ashok Kumar Sen, had undergone DBS at Medanta. Encouraged, Majumdar followed suit.
The results? Not overnight magic, but something close enough. Within weeks, his symptoms eased. Today, with periodic “tuning” of his brain pacemaker—an oddly mechanical phrase for something so profoundly human—he is back to signing papers, taking long walks and planning holidays. In the world of Parkinson’s, that counts as a quiet revolution.
Sen’s story is, if anything, even more striking. For a decade, cervical dystonia had left his neck painfully twisted at a stubborn 90-degree angle. Imagine trying to go about your day when your body insists on looking sideways—permanently. “At 50, when my hands started shaking and my neck would jerk uncontrollably, I wondered if this was what retirement had in store—dependence, pain and loss of dignity,” Sen recalls.
Post-surgery, his head has returned to near-normal position, the pain has vanished, and he no longer needs medication. Today, his condition is managed through periodic adjustments—fine-tuning brain signals much like updating software, except the stakes are infinitely higher.
Precision and Potential
If all this sounds like a marvel, it is. But it is also complex—far more so than fitting a heart pacemaker. “The brain is vastly more complex than the heart’s electrical system. Creating a one-size-fits-all stimulator is harder; treatment requires precise targeting of specific brain regions,” said Banerjee, who is director of neurosurgery at the Institute of Neurosciences.
That precision is what makes DBS both powerful and demanding. Electrodes are implanted in carefully chosen areas of the brain to regulate abnormal signals, helping restore motor control—essentially nudging the brain back on track.
“DBS is a transformative therapy wherein electrodes are implanted in specific affected areas of the brain to regulate abnormal signals, restoring motor function and greatly enhancing quality of life,” Banerjee explained.
He has performed more than 300 such procedures so far, averaging four to five surgeries a month. The need, however, is far greater. Neurological conditions now account for about 10% of India’s disease burden and are among the leading causes of disability worldwide. What makes DBS particularly compelling is its range. “It is known to bring relief to patients with Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, refractory epilepsy, essential tremor and advanced obsessive-compulsive disorder,” Banerjee said.
Technology, unsurprisingly, is playing a critical role. Advanced imaging enables precise brain targeting. Directional leads allow multi-dimensional neuromodulation. Real-time brain-sensing offers symptom-responsive stimulation. There is even AI-guided targeting—because if there is one place where guesswork is unwelcome, it is inside the human brain.
Equally significant is remote programming. For patients like Majumdar and Sen, who live in Kolkata, this means fewer cross-country trips and more continuity of care—an understated but meaningful benefit.
And yet, for all its promise, DBS remains underutilised. India performs only about 500 such surgeries a year across leading centres such as AIIMS, Jaslok Hospital and Artemis Hospital. “While new technology is making it more powerful, it remains underutilised due to low awareness levels. Increasing education about its benefits is crucial,” Banerjee noted.
Which is a pity, because for many patients, DBS does not just treat a condition—it restores a life. Not in grand, headline-grabbing ways, but in small, deeply personal victories: a steady hand, a straight spine, a walk taken without fear. In the end, the “brain pacemaker” may not make hearts race. But it does something far more valuable—it helps people live at their own pace again.