In the fight to combat Parkinson's disease, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has gained traction for its pacemaker-like abilities — including an implant that lessens the effects of the disease. Until now, the device field has been dominated by only one player, Medtronic. St. Jude medical wants to change that, and has entered the arena with its own device — with Boston Scientific set to introduce yet another later this year, The Wall Street Journal reports.

DBS works by stimulating the brain through electronic pulses. Though it is a surgical procedure, many patients who opt to get it report significant reduction in medications as a result. And that can be life-changing.

Many believe the field's potential remains largely untapped. Medtronic's Brett Wall, who heads up the company's neurovascular division, told the Journal, “The last two decades, Medtronic has done the yeoman’s work of creating and legitimizing DBS. It’s about time someone else got in this market.”

Though not all Parkinson's patients can get the surgery (those with dementia are ruled out) or even want to (some find medications work well enough), companies such as Boston Scientific report only 13 percent of Parkinson's sufferers who might benefit have undergone the surgery. And the cost can be prohibitive (implantation costs can reach $100,000), though insurance usually covers the procedure.

Both Boston Scientific and St. Jude promise upgrades to their versions, including precision-targeted impulses that could reduce side effects, they report. For its part, Medtronic is also promising better precision and impulse delivery as well, in the near future.

Still others eyeing the field believe it is wide open for new advances. Researchers at Vanderbilt University go as far as saying they believe they can delay the wasting effects of the disease altogether with their technology. “DBS plus medicine seems to be not just a little better, but potentially is far superior to standard therapy,” Dr. David Charles, a professor of neurology at Vanderbilt, said. “That still needs to be proven.”