boycotting indiana. look for that next week. that's all of this program. follow us on twitter, facebook and watch us next time in >> the disease is crippling. >> why are you wearing gloves? >> i don't want to touch anything that i don't have to. >> a compulsive mental condition that shuts her off from the world. >> i couldn't kiss her, i couldn't hug her. >> these are patients that have tried everything and have failed. >> you're going to hear eligibility of noise, drilling sound but this should not hurt. >> now a new kind of brain surgery could free her from its grip. >> it's possible, physically possible for me to be happy. i need it to happen.

>> when does a medical miracles go too far. >> is this kind of intervention limited to diseases or are we going to extend it further? >> in a "america tonight" special, rewiring the brain. it's called deep brain stimulation and it could be a game changer for severe psychiatric conditions. it's already been effective for diseases like parkinson's but now doctors are probing deeper in a way that could change patients' thoughts and moods even their behavior. "america tonight" has an exclusive look at a patient, who is crippled by obsessive obsessive obsessive compulsive

disorder. jennifer geeson gee son is about to undertake a procedure, she hopes it will control a medical condition that has overcome her life. jennifer has a obsessive compulsive disorder. >> i'm going to go to the zoo. >> growing up in suburban chicago jennifer said her mind was overwhelmed by numbers. she counted unusual objects and repeated behaviors. >> i had this thing where if i saw like a teen stoner had stoned in a book or passed one i had to count them and a certain

number and also i had to open and close things miment times to multiple times to end on a good number or until it feels right. >> as a young person jennifer was on therapy but throughout her childhood the condition got worse. nightmare. at the age of 24 she constantly thinks about death and germs. >> why are you wearing gloves? >> because i don't want to touch anything that i don't have to. and if there's some things that i feel are so contaminated that even if i wash my hands afterwards that's not good enough. like i would want to burn my off. >> when you say contaminated what do you mean? >> there are certain things in my mind that make other things dirty so -- like funeral homes are contaminated so if i go by a contaminated.

>> do you feel that your upbringing had anything to do with your ocd? >> when i was in second grade, my mom got really sick. and she almost died. and so therapists in the past have said you know it could be my obsession with funeral homes and stuff could be with her being -- her almost dying. >> this is jennifer's one safe spot, her bedroom. >> i kind of live in this room. >> she keeps her food here to avoid contamination. her laundry basket is filled with gloves. >> this one is not going to work because it's often the inside, i contaminated it. so i have to wash there. >> she wears those gloves 24-7. >> that was colleen. her first run. >> jennifer's mother julie remembers the bright days when her daughter would play outside

with friends unafraid of contamination. julie says she's tried everything to stop her daughter's downward spiral. >> how hard is this to see as a mom? >> oh, it's horrible. it's just -- i mean her whole family is affected but to see her go throughout this. there have been years when she hasn't been able to touch. i couldn't kiss her, i couldn't hug her. even now i'm lucky if i get a little kiss here and there. she'd be crying, i'd be crying and i can't -- if i touched her she'd break -- because i'm dirty. >> you couldn't hug her? >> for years. >> we saw jennifer's ocd firsthand when she showed us her glass art. >> i like fuse glass. >> can i touch it?

>> actually don't touch it. >> sorry. >> that's okay. >> how tired are you with dealing with this? >> you i don't remember what it's like to be happy, to do normal things. >> what do you wants to do? >> to me normal things are being able to shower in your house being able to wash your hands and not wear gloves and be able to do 100 things that everyone else takes for granted and thinks is so easy. >> jennifer has been searching for a cure for years. her journey has now led her to the mayo clinic in rochester minnesota. doctors here are pioneering deep brain estimation for psychiatric disorders. >> the patients that are enrolled in these studies are really the worst of the worst. so these are patients that have tried everything and have failed. >> dr. kendall lee has been performing brain

surgeries to decade. >> what is deep brain estimation. >> deep brain estimation is state-of-the-art technology, to treat disorders like parkinsons and tourette's disease. >> like roger fresh he developed a tremor that made it impossible to perform. >> the hand of a violin right in the or. >> we had to. >> the doctor had fresh test the instrument, to make sure the electrodes were precisely on target. when the electrodes were turned on his tremor vanished and he was able to play.

♪ ♪ [applause] >> what was that like, to have that music light up the room? >> it was invigorating. because this man was a concert master he had to get the music perfect. wheewe inserted the second lead and when we did, he got that perfect movement. >> pretty cool. >> yes very cool. >> dr. lee will now perform the similar procedure on jennifer. it's her last hope for a pert better life. >> when we come back, we will have the procedure, when >> sunday. you know his music but what about the man? >> i was given a gift. >> up close and personal. behind the scenes of the biggest hits... >> she was a troubled girl.

>> brightest stars... >> kids don't want to "own", they just want to "play". >> and the future of music. >> the record business is in trouble. >> every sunday night, >> i lived that character. >> go one on one with america's movers and shakers. >> we will be able to see change. >> gripping. inspiring. entertaining. talk to al jazeera. sunday, 6:30 eastern. only on al jazeera america.

>> monday. >> visibility was 3 to 5 nautical miles. >> weathering the storm. >> we want to show people how to replace property against the worst mother nature has to offer. >> experts forecast how to stay safe. >> i'm standing in a tropical windstorm. >> in extreme weather. >> oh my god. >> techknow's team of experts show you how the miracles of science... >> this is my selfie, what can you tell me about my future? >> can affect and surprise us. >> don't try this at home. >> "techknow" where technology meets humanity. monday, 6:30 eastern only on al jazeera america.

. >> jennifer gee son suffers from son suffers from obsessive compulsive are disorder. no other ring approaches have help her. >> can you describe what you feel? >> like i'm looking forward to it, a kid on christmas morning you know, you want to get there right now. >> reporter: it's finally time for jennifer to head into the operating room . >> all right my dear, we're going to introduce you to the surgical team waiting for you. >> reporter: usually these are for patients with parkinson's or

tremors, in fact, jennifer is one of the first people to undergo this procedure for ocd. >> the first step of the operation is the most painful. jennifer is fitted with a head brace. her skull must remain completely still during the entire procedure. >> it made it more painful as we put the head frame on. how you doing? okay we're almost done. >> reporter: dr. lee prepares for surgery as jennifer undergoes a series of high resolution mris. these are crucial to avoid hemorrhaging. later on when dr. lee will place electrodes, millimeters in diameter, deep in her brain. >> as far as inserting we can look right through brain and avoid where the blood vessels are. >> inside the operating room the procedure gets underway. >> you will hear a little bit of

noise, drilling sounds but this should not hurt. so this is x ray, now we have both electrodes in. >> as jennifer's side is mayo clinic psychiatrist dr. osama abosoud. he controls the electrodes on a hand held device. jennifer's emotions quickly change as the voltage changes. she's awake and alert, and describing how she feels. >> horrible. i know i'm -- >> sorry about that. >> within minutes the horrible feelings go away as dr. abosaud continues to adjust the voltage brain. this is the result. >> i don't know why i'm laughing. >> you're laughing again? >> i don't know why. >> what is that like for her to go through those highs and lows so quickly in such a manic way? >> it's dramatic. and i would assume that it's

very uncomfortable. to feel that you're not in control of your own mind. and someone else can take control of your mind. through a device. >> jennifer's ocd is so severe she insisted keeping on the gloves she wears everywhere even inside the operating room. but the gloves provide a way for the doctors to measure how well the brain. >> do you want to take the glove off? >> i don't want to. if you try to take gloves i'd start crying, don't do that. >> you would not expect someone to turn off a sandwich that would say, i have no more ocd, i'm cured. we do not have that. the effect is cumulative, you're

going to get a little better then therapy comes, then little bit better then i can function. >> the highs and lows are are an emotional roller coaster for jennifer. >> you're not going to make me feel good? >> but moments later. >> i want to crawl up in a ball and die. >> is there an unlimited really realm as to what we can be looking at? >> what we have here is dbs is modifying, we have the opportunity to potentially modify that function to improve human health. >> so with the electrodes implanted the surgery now moves into its next phase. jennifer will be sedated. and a battery pack will be implanted into her chest then she's off to the recovery room. >> jennifer, hi, hi, good

morning. >> the morning after surgery and jennifer is doing quite well. doctors have now closed the two holes in her skull and the electrodes are permanentsly implanted inside her brain. they're connected via wires to a battery. but for now, the device last been switched off. jennifer is part of a clinical trial. half the ocd patients in the trial will have their devices eventually turned on. while the other half will receive what doctors call placebos. >> what do you remember of the surgery? >> all of it. >> you remember all of it? tell me about the laughing and that? >> i don't know, it was like all of a sudden i couldn't help it. it was like my mind was thinking of something hilarious, i don't know what it was. >> you're sitting there changing the buttons changing her mind. >> while that's a powerful tool it makes you feel very worried it makes you wonder where is the

science going to take us? >> what does it feel like when your ploitions were on a high during -- emotions were on a high during that? >> i didn't want them to adjust it after that. i don't want that to go away. it made it harder whether it got bad because i just had such a positive experience that it was really difficult to accept it, now it was not just normal but worse than normal. is a -- >> doctors here say about two-thirds of ocd patients who are enrolled in these clinical studies have seen their ocd symptoms reduced by half. dr. lee is excited about the possibility of using deep brain estimation for a host of psychiatric disorders including depression, schizophrenia, even addiction. >> why are you so excited about this? >> i'm excited because this changes lives. if you look at jennifer, this is a very, very difficult situation. not only for her but for her

family as well. and so to be able to modify that, and give her hope, real hope, this is amazing and it's very exciting. >> jennifer says she doesn't remember the last time she felt as happy as she did inside the operating room. >> there's been a long time since he felt like there was hope and there was a chance i could push the ocd away and be able to do the things i want to do in life. >> when jennifer goes back to the mayo clinic, doctors could switch her device back on. until then it's a waiting game to see if and when her surgery was a success. >> when we come back, we caught back up with jennifer and join us to see if it worked and if

>> "america tonight" has been following the extraordinary story of a young woman literally trying to rewire her brain. hoping to escape the devastating

psychiatric condition known as obsessive compulsive disorder. now we go back to jennifer gee geeson. >> a hug. >> six months ago, this would be impossible for jennifer geeson. obsessiveobsessive compulsive disorder result her life. she feared what she called contamination. >> even my own mom sometimes she could cry because she couldn't hug me and she's like i just love you so much and that made me feel really guilty. some of my family members made me feel even more guilty. do you know how bad i feel? believe me, i want to hug you just as much as you want to hug me.

>> reporter: we first met jennifer last august. she has suffered from ocd since childhood. the severe psychological disorder cutting her off from other people and the outside world. as a last resort, she decided to undergo radical surgery. >> how you doing? okay. you're almost done. >> you're going to hear just a little bit of noise drilling sound but this should not hurt. >> reporter: a groundbreaking estimation. >> could you take them off for me? >> yes. >> six months later the gloves came off. >> i could take them off. now i feel like i'm not protected so i mean if somebody came and touched my hands first i'd hit them

as a warning. >> you would not want me to shake your hand? >> i would shake your hand with glove. >> as part of a clinical trial testing deep brain estimation against a placebo, jennifer had her unit switched on. she continued to have the limits adjusted every two weeks, while doctored doctors kept trying to find the right balance. >> i was shutting down, and when he would be turning the signs back up, i would have this weird half-smile on my face constantly. just like giggles and i was a completely different person.

>> at this animal shelter where she volunteers she's visibly happier since the surgery. and doing this without gloves a few months ago would have been unthinkable! she says she has a much greater lust for life. in fact, jennifer revealed an unexpected side effect of her rewired brain. >> i'm more sexual. i'm more sexually interested. there were times in my life where i literally thought, i think i'm asexual. i really couldn't even imagine being intimate with anyone without it just being an uncomfortable hug with your like great aunt. to me nothing intimate was desirable. i was so depressed. >> you can think of intimacy now? >> now it's a curse and a blessing, i don't have this desire to be intimate but it's so instant, i'm not saying sexually intimate with everybody, i kind of want to

snuggle with people and i don't care how well we know each other. put my head into someone's lap and be touchy feely. >> you like people again? >> i do. >> gettings to this point hasn't been easy. hitting just the exact voltage is an inexact ins science. jennifer hit an all time low she was put into a psychiatric facility. >> all i could see was the scissors she used to cut off the old luggage tags. if i even scratch her would she notice if i cut my wrists? >> do we understand the circuitry of the brain, absolutely not. it is highly experimental. >> dr. art kaplan is

a medical thickist. ethicist. >> it's an area for medical research. what they think of is psychosurgery. we've had a horrific history in medicine of taking the brain apart. think lobotomies. there are plenty of people who remember that era and they don't trust whether a doctor is saying, hey how if i put a wire in your head and stimulate your brain. >> is this different? >> it is different. if you don't like it we can end it. those are the ethical hallmark that make dbs different. >> doctors at the mayo clinic believe that dbs could be used for other medical conditions and

maybe even addictions. dr. kaplan believes it could be a pandora's box. >> where do you see this going? >> it could be helpful but you could see it going in a different direction. i never read that fast. is there a part of the brain you could trigger for a better memory? possibilities. it is not there yet, you don't wake up tomorrow by saying oh my goodness, they're going to be enhancing people's brains. ten years out, we're going to have to decide, is this limited to diseases or are we going to extend it further and see whether we can make a better brain. >> jennifer's future is unclear. she sees a psychiatrist at the university of chicago twice a week and she's undergoing additional behavioral therapies hoping eventually the gloves will come off for good. >> there's no such thing really as ocd remission.

it is not like cancer where it goes away and you wait to see as tumors come back. it is more like you can manage it and it's more like kind of like diabetes where you have to still have your insulin shots and something where you have to maintain it and it can easily creep right back up any day. >> even though it hasn't been a cure, you're happy you had it done? >> oh god yes, i can't even remember happiness what it was like. it was very motivating. it is physically possible for me to be happy. i mean it could happen. >> it is happening for jennifer. as for the others enrolled in this study, the verdict isn't in yet. but whatever the results researchers say they will help us map out the brain's circuitry and perhaps unlock more of its mysteries. i'm adam may, thanks for joining us for this special report.

more air strikes in yemen as the saudi led coalition targets houthis for a third day. hello, you're watching al jazeera, i'm jane dutton from our headquarters in doha. al shabaab strikes a hotel in mogadishu.