DBS for Parkinson's (and dystonia and essential tremor) work reliably well, and the complication rates are considered acceptable. However, in terms of understa

DBS for Parkinson's (and dystonia and essential tremor) work reliably well, and the complication rates are considered acceptable. However, in terms of understanding the mechanisms of how they work on the brain, I would very much characterize it as a black box. So much so that if you look at the different ways different medical centers and practitioners program the devices, it's clear we don't know how it works; just that it does (and extremely effectively) once you fiddle around with the settings long enough.