A Tourette’s sufferer whose life was made a misery by uncontrollable muscle tics says she has been “given her life back” after surgeons placed electrodes in her brain.
Jayne Bargent’s neck and head were so badly affected by the spasms she was unable to drive, read, or walk properly.
But Deep Brain Stimulation surgery means Mrs Bargent’s tics have almost completely disappeared, allowing her to return to a normal life.
She told Sky News: “It is absolutely amazing. I do not feel I am the same person. I have had three years of getting worse. Now I have got my life back.”
The technique saw surgeons plant two electrodes in her brain, which were then linked to a pacemaker battery in her chest.
The mild electrical pulses control movement and the procedure has already proved effective for other neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease.
Mrs Bargent, whose surgery was filmed, said: “I couldn’t imagine living the rest of my life as I was. I would have considered going over to Switzerland to Dignitas when it got to the stage where I just could not feel I could carry on.
“We will be able to go out again and go for walks. It will have a huge impact on our lives.”
Mrs Bargent’s surgery was carried out at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.
Consultant neurosurgeon Ludwig Zrinzo, who carried out the operation, said he expected Mrs Bargent’s condition to continue to improve.
He added: “What we think is happening is that there is some disorganised information travelling through circuits in the brain.
“We are dampening these messages and allowing other parts of the brain to take over.”
Tourette’s syndrome affects around 300,000 people in Britain, with sufferers often uncontrollably shouting swear words.