Morten Harket fights Parkinson's: a singer steps on his limits

Morten Harket fights Parkinson's: a singer steps on his limits

Norge - The Norwegian singer Morten Harket, known as the front man of the band A-Ha, has recently announced that he is suffering from Parkinson's. The diagnosis is a significant challenge for the father of five because he tries to prevent his body's decay. This requires a balancing act between taking medication and coping with the associated side effects. As Kleine Zeitung , Harket was treated in June 2024, and electrodes were implanted in his brain, for his symptoms too relieve. This treatment is known as deep brain stimulation and has already shown significant improvements in it.

In December 2024, the singer received another surgical intervention on his right half of the brain, which further increased his quality of life. Despite this progress, however, there are uncertainties regarding his voice, which is of crucial importance for his musical career. Harket said that he was not sure whether he can perform songs like "Take on me" as in the past.

The challenges of Parkinson's disease

The typical symptoms of Parkinson's are tremors, slow movements, muscle tension as well as problems when walking and balance. This disease is one of the fastest increasing neurological diseases worldwide; In Germany, almost 300,000 people are affected by over 40. According to Gesundheitsinformation.de , deep brain stimulation are a promising treatment option based on several important studies. These studies show that deep brain stimulation can effectively contribute to alleviating the symptoms of Parkinson's.

The working group of deep brain stimulation provides information in order to enable the patient a better understanding of this treatment method. Studies that support this technique include work from 2006 and recent research that have since documented the progress and perspectives on deep brain stimulation. This variety of data is available to doctors to discuss individualized treatment options.

The importance of deep brain stimulation

As described on the page of Abbott , electrical impulses are given to certain nerve structures in the deep brain stimulation in order to control the symptoms of the disease. Various brain regions can be stimulated, including the thalamus, the globe pallidus internus (GPI) or the nucleus subthalamicus (stn), depending on the specific needs of the patient.

Although Harket is making progress, there are still challenges. He said that he no longer feels the same joy in singing and that he is not exclusively fixed on the music in his identity. Nevertheless, he continued to write songs, but remains unsure whether he can publish them. These thoughts express a deep connection to his art without ignoring your own health. Harket calms his fans with the words: "Don't worry about me."

The combination of medical progress and the personal examination of the disease shows how important it is to look at both psychological and physical aspects of the disease. Harket remains an example of how affected people can counter the challenges of Parkinson's with courage and determination.