Australian regulators have OK'd a St. Jude Medical deep-brain stimulator for use in treating symptoms of Parkinson's disease, the company announced today. The Libra and LibraXP products were previously approved for use in Europe but are not for sale in the United States.

The neurostimulators work like pacemakers, only instead of sending mild shocks to the heart they send impulses to targeted regions of the brain. St. Jude Medical and rival Medtronic believe the therapy has applications for treating a wide range of conditions, including depression.

The Mayo Clinic calls it a "highly experimental" treatment, and the Los Angeles Times reported last month that some worry the field is moving too fast. The known risks include bleeding, stroke, coma, death and infection. The full side effects aren't known because too few patients have undergone the treatment, some medical professionals warn. (St. Jude says about 40,000 people have had the Parkinson's treatment.)

Meanwhile, the Star Tribune notes that St. Jude Medical celebrated a grand opening Monday in Little Canada for its new $62 million headquarters and technology center. About 324 employees will work in the 180,000-square-foot building, it reports.