Our research team, led to A/Prof Thevathasan and engineer Prof Hugh McDermott, discovered a brain signal termed “Evoked Resonance Neural Activity” (ERNA). ERNA appears to be a game changer for DBS in Parkinson’s disease that could transform outcomes around the world. For example, ERNA can act as a ‘homing signal’, which we are developing to guide the implantation of electrodes into the subthalamic nucleus and globus pallidus. ERNA guided surgery has potential to greatly improve the accuracy of electrode placement (even under general anaesthetic), which is critical for the success of DBS in every patient. Additionally, ERNA can help identify the ideal location to program DBS along the electrode after implantation, reducing the risk that human error could compromise outcomes. We also plan to implant ERNA sensing devices in patients to assess its utility to act as a feedback signal. Currently, DBS continuously runs at the same level regardless of what the patient is doing. This means that at any particular moment, stimulation may be excessive or insufficient, resulting in side effects or incomplete benefit. We are investigating whether ERNA can continuously detect the amount of DBS that is needed and trigger it accordingly. This is called ‘adaptive DBS’ and is akin to the regulation of speed by cruise control in a car. Adaptive DBS holds promise to be more effective for symptoms, have less side effects and drain less energy so that devices can shrink in size.