Violinist plays during surgery on his brain

From ABC World News

Roger Frisch of Plymouth, Minn., lay on the operating table with his hands clutching his violin to his chin. While surgeons operated on Frisch's brain, Frisch began to play the chords he's known for more than 30 years.

It seemed like a scene from a science fiction movie. But every note he played told the surgeons whether the electronic pulses they were sending to his brain worked to ease his body's tremors.

In June 2009, doctors diagnosed Frisch with essential tremors, a condition that occurs when sections of the brain that control movement start sending abnormal signals.

The condition most often affects hand movements, and simple tasks such as drinking a glass of water or eating become difficult. But for Frisch, a concert master with the Minneapolis Orchestra, his right hand shook uncontrollably only when he held his bow up to his violin.

For the full story, see http://abcnews.go.com/WN/WorldNews/cutting-edge-treating-tremors-deep-brain-stimulation/story?id=10138705