Concert violinist Roger Frisch’s career was in jeopardy when he was diagnosed with essential tremors in 2009, a mild condition in which abnormal signals are sent from the sections of the brain responsible for movement. It took a few years of convincing for the Minnesota Orchestra musician to agree to undergo an experimental procedure known as Deep Brain Stimulation. The procedure involves the implementation of a tiny electrode in the brain so that Frisch could control his tremors by the simple push of a button. Doctors can see if the tremor is responding to the electrode in real time but because Frisch’s condition was so mild, his surgeon was concerned about not being able to to tell whether the device was put in the exact spot in his brain. The medical team then concluded that the only way to make sure the electrode was in the right location was to have Frisch play his violin during the surgery. According to Daily Mail, an accelerometer was put on the tip of Frisch’s violin bow, transmitting his tremors onto a graph on a computer screen. Surgeons implanted the electrodes while watching the screen, with Frisch playing his violin to generate the readings. The operation took place last spring and was a total success. Frisch told Ovation Press’s String Visions that his tremors are currently “nonexistent” thanks to his newfound ability to turn them off with a portable device. He played a full-length performance just three weeks after the operation and has since resumed his position as Associate Concert master. Source
