Disorders including Alzheimer's or Parkinson's can have serious consequences for the brain, and are capable of drastically altering a person's everyday life. In many cases people have to rely on medication and surgical treatments to be able to perform simple tasks with minimum disruptions.

Medtech has swiftly become a game-changer in the past decade with tiny devices that can be implanted in the brain to control seizures and procedures that cure disabilities by passing electric current into the brain. Exploring the potential of stimulation against neurological diseases, a facility in Abu Dhabi has performed the UAE's first deep brain surgery, which uses electrodes to zap away Parkinson's disease.

The procedure was conducted with four candidates, and involved implants inserted in specific parts of the mind, to bar signals that can cause tremors in an individual's body. These operations were aided by imaging tech, which allowed surgeons to spot the exact areas in the brain where life-altering symptoms originated.

A small device inserted beneath the skin was used to control electrodes during the surgeries that lasted four to eight hours. All four individuals were successfully treated at Abu Dhabi's Cleveland Clinic in just four days, thanks to knowhow from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio which has conducted 150 procedures of a similar nature.

Evaluated by a team that included neurologists, neuropsychologists and speech therapists, the candidates faced difficulties in moving properly before opting for the operation.

In case of the Emirates, Cleveland Clinic is the only facility with required equipment for deep brain surgery, but rapid adoption of medtech in the country may pave the way for similar innovative procedures elsewhere. While this process cuts down dependence on medication, doctors in the Emirates have also devised a way to infuse Levodopa in the bloodstream in gel form, to help Parkinson's patients.

Among Middle Eastern neighbours, Israel has also witnessed the launch of gadgets that can treat anything from a migraine to eye disorders simply by targeting specific parts of the brain.