Medtronic’s BrainSense™ Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation Named Among TIME’s Best Inventions of 2025

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Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT), a global leader in healthcare technology, announced that BrainSense™ Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation (aDBS) – the world's first closed-loop DBS system for people with Parkinson's – has been recognized by TIME on its annual list of Best Inventions.

There are over 10 million people living with Parkinson's disease globally,¹ and while there is currently no cure, Medtronic deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been transforming the lives of people with Parkinson's and other neurological disorders for more than 30 years. Medtronic recently enhanced its Percept™ DBS neurostimulators with exclusive BrainSense™ Adaptive technology^† for people with Parkinson's. This feature personalizes therapy based on a patient's brain activity in real time – minimizing the need for patients to manually adjust stimulation.

For over two decades, TIME has recognized the products, software, and services shaping the world – from breakthroughs in science and technology to innovations that make daily life smarter, easier, and more sustainable. This year's honorees span notable categories from artificial intelligence and immersive technology to accessibility, logistics, and healthcare. All entries are thoughtfully assessed by TIME's esteemed editors on impact, innovation, and success.

Medtronic spent more than twenty years developing a complete, sensing-enabled DBS system leveraging exclusive BrainSense™ technology to detect, capture, and classify different brain signals. This advancement put Medtronic at the forefront of incorporating therapeutic brain-computer interface (BCI) technology into DBS therapy and BrainSense™ Adaptive DBS presents the largest commercial launch of BCI technology – ever. 

"Medtronic BrainSense™ Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation marks a new era in neuromodulation and the use of therapeutic brain-computer interface technology to restore human health. We congratulate Medtronic on joining this year's esteemed list of Best Inventions." — TIME Editors, Best Inventions 2025

Medtronic received both CE Mark and U.S. FDA approval for BrainSense™ aDBS earlier this year and already more than 1,000² patients worldwide have received the adaptive therapy. Recently, the pivotal ADAPT-PD study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Neurology showing clinical effectiveness, long-term safety, and patient preference for Medtronic BrainSense™ aDBS³.

"We're honored that our BrainSense™ Adaptive DBS technology for people with Parkinson's is being recognized as one of the year's most important medical innovations," said Paolo Di Vincenzo, president of the Neuromodulation business, which is part of the Neuroscience portfolio at Medtronic. "This groundbreaking technology represents intentional innovation that responds to a patient's changing needs, equips clinicians with unparalleled insights, and sets a new standard for DBS therapy."

Since 1987, Medtronic has served more than 200,000 patients with movement disorders and other indications in more than 70 countries with its life-changing DBS therapy².