How AI is helping to improve Parkinson’s treatment, reduce symptoms for some patients

WASHINGTON (InvestigateTV) — Stiff limbs, slow movement, balance issues and tremors that often start in the hands are some of the debilitating symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease.

More than 1.1 million Americans are living with the neurodegenerative disorder, and there are about 90,000 new diagnoses each year, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

There is no known cure, but new technology is making a difference for some patients with the help of artificial intelligence.

Grounded by his diagnosis

Rick Schena got hired with United Airlines when he was 23 years old.

“I had this dream job flying these beautiful aircraft all around the world. So I went through happily and flying along,” Schena said.

It was Parkinson’s disease that ultimately grounded his career.

“I always believed that the job of a pilot was very fragile, you know, one diagnosis away from not being able to fly anymore. And that’s exactly what happened to me,” Schena said. “You sit there and you say, ‘Jesus, what did I do to deserve this?’”

The telltale hand tremor was among his earliest symptoms at age 48. As the illness progressed, he experienced what’s known as rigidity.

“It means that I would lock up. I’d get so tight that I couldn’t move. It’s like you’re a stone,” Schena said.

“You can look kind of robotic,” said Dr. Fernando Pagan, a movement disorders neurologist at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Pagan tested and eventually diagnosed a then 54-year-old Schena nearly two decades ago and has been treating him ever since.

“Our medicines are like the oil the Tin Man gets,” Pagan said. “But as the disease progresses, the medicine doesn’t last as long. So the medicine used to last four hours, now it’s only lasting two hours.”

A treatment to stimulate the brain

Schena reached a point where Pagan felt that additional medication would start having adverse effects on his quality of life.

That’s when they would turn to a treatment known as deep brain stimulation.

Deep brain stimulation has been around for several decades and is used to help ease Parkinson’s symptoms, especially when a patient’s medications are no longer sufficient, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Often described as a pacemaker for the brain, it involves a surgical procedure in which doctors implant a device that’s then programmed to send electrical pulses to parts of the brain that control movement.

Schena had the surgery in the fall of 2024 and was in the hospital two days. He explained how a smartphone app can be used to tweak the device’s settings if needed.

“After about a month that’s when we started to see significant improvement,” Pagan said.

But there were still some limitations. When Schena would exercise, the stimulation was less effective.

“He would notice, ‘I need to increase a little bit more when I exercise.’ Or if he was a little bit stressed or having a little bit of fun — the tremor would come back,” Pagan said.

New adaptive system approved

In February 2025, the FDA approved adaptive deep brain stimulation, the first-ever adaptive deep brain stimulation system for people living with Parkinson’s.

Researchers have called it a new, smarter version of the technology because it aims to personalize treatment based on a patient’s brain activity and uses artificial intelligence to make adjustments in real time.

Early studies showed adaptive deep brain stimulation has been associated with greater motor symptom control and fewer side effects when compared to the non-adaptive version.

“That’s where the adaptive is really amazing, that it could really adjust the stimulation to your daily activities,” Pagan said.

The system uses artificial intelligence, but Pagan said a neurologist is still programming it and treating the patient.

“We’ve been waiting for this, to be honest,” Pagan said.

In May 2025, Schena became the first patient in the D.C. region and one of the first in the country to have his conventional deep brain stimulation upgraded to the adaptive, AI-enhanced system.

No additional surgery was needed, but rather a reprogramming of the original device.

“Anything that’s going to make my life better, I’m all for,” Schena said. “And what that did, it rounds it out. So you’re not going through these peaks and the valleys.”

The system made a big difference because Schena doesn’t take as much medication. His daily medication needs have been reduced by about 50%.

“I think it’s a game changer because it shows that AI can be very beneficial for our patients. It’s not perfect yet. It’s still going to need further tweaking, but it’s a tool. It’s a tool that allows us to give a better quality of life for our patients,” Pagan said.

Immediate results

At one of Schena’s appointments, the system was demonstrated. When Pagan turned Schena’s adaptive deep brain stimulation system off, his hands went from steady to shaking in a matter of seconds.

When it was turned back on, Schena’s tremor subsided just as quickly.

“There’s a big, big difference between being on and off for you,” Pagan told Schena.

“I got to tell you something, it was the best thing I’ve done,” Schena said.

A return to flying

With his symptoms virtually eliminated, Schena said he felt confident enough to seek and secure FAA approval under the agency’s BasicMed program, which allows him to fly non-commercially with strict limits on aircraft size, passenger load and altitude.

“It’ll be the first time I’ve flown an aircraft in 18 years since I was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s,” Schena said. “I had to go through an exam, psychological testing, all the other stuff you need to do to get that because I have Parkinson’s, and I’ve really only been able to do this because of the aDBS.”

A friend and fellow pilot was by his side as they prepared for takeoff at a regional airport in Virginia. Once in the air, Schena took the controls.

“This was a big, big piece of my life, and I went back and I was able to do it again,” Schena said. “It was a special moment.”

His hope for the future is looking up.

“I want to give people hope. Hope’s what this is all about,” Schena said.

Determining candidacy

Dr. Simon Little, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of California San Francisco who helped develop one of the algorithms, said some patients might not end up being a candidate if they have a lot of memory problems or a lot of mood or thinking problems.

“And then the decision of who should get adaptive DBS is really those patients that have had conventional DBS. And then after the conventional DBS, we find that they still are having fluctuations in their symptoms,” Little said.

The biggest risk is the fact that this does involve brain surgery, Little said. He encourages patients to make sure they get all their questions answered on the front end.

That’s exactly what Schena said he did and he has no regrets.