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Parkinson's Disease: Surgical Options.

Surgical therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) has been a treatment option for over 100 years. Advances in the knowledge of basal ganglia physiology and in techniques of stereotactic neurosurgery and neuroimaging have allowed more accurate placement of lesions or "brain pacemakers" in the sensorimotor regions of target nuclei. This, in turn, has led to improved efficacy with fewer complications than in the past. Currently, bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) or the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) is the preferred option (and is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration) for the surgical treatment of PD. The most important predictors for outcome for DBS for PD are patient selection and electrode location. Patients should have a documented preoperative improvement from dopaminergic medication of at least 30% in the patient's Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor disability scores. A levodopa challenge may be needed to document the best "on" state. Dementia or active cognitive decline must be excluded. Active psychiatric disease should be treated preoperatively. Patients should be motivated, with good support systems, and committed to the postoperative management of DBS therapy. Deep brain stimulation should be considered when the patient begins to experience dyskinesia and on-off fluctuations despite optimal medical therapy. Deep brain stimulation is not a good option at the final stages of the disease because of the increased incidence of dementia and severe comorbidity. The DBS electrode should be placed in the sensorimotor region of the GPi or STN. Subthalamic nucleus and GPi DBS can improve all motor aspects of PD, as well as predictable "on" time, without dyskinesia or fluctuations. On average, STN DBS results in a greater reduction of dopaminergic medication compared with GPi DBS. Because of the smaller size of the target region, the pulse generator battery life is longer with STN then with GPi DBS. Deep brain stimulation programming is a skill that is readily learned and may be required of all neurologists in the future. Emerging surgical therapies are restorative, and they aim to replace or regenerate degenerating dopaminergic neurons. These include embryonic mesencephalic tissue transplantation, human embryonic stem cell transplantation, and gene-derived methods of intracerebral implantation of growth factors and dopamine- producing cell lines. It will be important to determine whether DBS, if performed before the onset of motor response complications to medical therapy, may prevent this stage of disease altogether or delay it for a significant period of time. The same question applies to the future with restorative therapy.

Journal Article↗

Attenuation of fluctuating striatal synaptic dopamine levels in patients with Parkinson disease in response to subthalamic nucleus stimulation: a positron emission tomography study.

OBJECT: The "wearing-off" phenomenon often hampers the treatment of Parkinson disease (PD). Although deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is known to ameliorate the wearing-off phenomenon, the mechanism by which it does this remains unclear. As part of an inquiry into the mechanism of STN DBS, the authors measured synaptic dopamine levels in the striatum by performing positron emission tomography (PET) with [11C]raclopride. METHODS: Three patients with PD who were experiencing the wearing-off phenomenon underwent PET scanning before and after DBS of the STN. The clinical features in these patients were evaluated by applying the Hoehn and Yahr, United Parkinson's Disease Rating, and Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living Scales. Before and after surgery, PET scans were obtained using [11C]raclopride prior to and 1 hour following an oral administration of levodopa. Regions of interest for the [11C]raclopride binding potential (RacloBP) were set in the bilateral putamen and the caudate nucleus. All clinical scores were dramatically improved postoperatively. Deep brain stimulation of the STN reduced the baseline RacloBP in both the putamen and caudate nucleus, but the differences between the pre- and postoperative levels were insignificant. Before DBS of the STN, the levodopa administration significantly reduced RacloBP in the putamen (p < 0.0001). Postoperatively the drug-induced reduction in RacloBP became statistically insignificant. The drug-induced increase in synaptic dopamine concentrations in the putamen preoperatively was estimated to be approximately four times higher than that after surgery (p < 0.01). The drug-induced RacloBP change in the caudate nucleus was similar to that in the putamen, although the magnitude of the change was lower (p < 0.005). The drug-induced increase in the caudate nucleus was also reduced postoperatively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Deep brain stimulation of the STN induces the stabilization of synaptic dopamine concentrations in the striatum and may attribute to the alleviation of levodopa-related motor fluctuations.

Aged↗

Electroencephalographic responses to intraoperative subthalamic stimulation.

This study reports the effects of intraoperative stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus on brain electrical activity in advanced Parkinson's patients. To our knowledge, this is the first study about electroencephalographic responses in the very early phase of deep brain stimulation, during the implantation of the electrodes. We found an increase of gamma band bilaterally over the sensorimotor cortex in the range 45-55 Hz, which was associated with clinical improvement as assessed by means of muscle rigidity decrease. These results indicate that the electroencephalographic gamma responses to deep brain stimulation are present at the very beginning of the treatment process, and may help better understand the short and long-tem effects of deep brain stimulation.

Aged↗

Headache secondary to deep brain implantation.

This article examines the headaches that can develop with deep brain stimulation. We identified 15 (23.4%) of 64 patients who developed chronic headaches following implantation of deep brain stimulation electrodes for relief of chronic pain syndromes. Electrodes were implanted in the periaqueductal gray, sensory thalamus, and internal capsule. None of these 15 patients reported similar headaches prior to the implantation. Although 5 patients were intermittent headache sufferers prior to implantation, they reported post-implantation headaches to be completely different in nature. Our experience suggests that headache syndromes may arise due to disturbance of serotonergic neurotransmission within deep brain structures.

Adult↗

Unilateral globus pallidus internus stimulation improves delayed onset post-traumatic cervical dystonia with an ipsilateral focal basal ganglia lesion.

Treatment with unilateral left globus pallidus internus (GPi) deep brain stimulation is reported in a patient with severe delayed onset post-traumatic cervical dystonia. He had sustained severe head trauma at the age of 17 and had developed a mild right hemiparesis. Three years after the head injury, cervical dystonia with head turning to the left side developed. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a discrete GPi lesion on the left side. At the age of 23, he underwent unilateral left GPi deep brain stimulation. He experienced immediate but short lasting benefit from the microlesioning effect of the electrode. With activation of deep brain stimulation, there was significant improvement of the cervical dystonia, persisting for 12 months of follow up. This case underlines the importance of the globus pallidus internus in the generation and amelioration of cervical dystonia.

Adult↗

[Neurosurgical treatment in childhood dystonias and dyskinesias].

AIM: To present the post-surgery clinical results of deep brain stimulation of the internal globus pallidus (GPi) in a group of paediatric patients with primary and secondary dystonic-dyskinetic syndrome. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between November 1996 and May 2006, 121 patients were submitted to interventions with bilateral deep brain stimulation of the GPi, 58 of whom were children (age range: 5-16 years); 35 were cases of primary dystonia, of which 17 were carriers of the DYT1 mutation and 10 were not. A further 8 cases were myoclonic dystonias, 3 of whom presented the DYT11 mutation. With regard to the secondary dystonias, 4 were carriers of PKAN (pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration) syndrome and 9 were cases of post-anoxic encephalopathies. RESULTS: Percentage improvements were as follows: in the case of DYT1+ primary dystonias, 80% at one year maintained at 3 years; in cases of DYT1-, 70% at one year maintained at 3 years, and in the myoclonic dystonias, 50% at one year and 85% at 3 years. In the group of patients with secondary dystonias due to post-anoxic encephalopathies, we found an improvement of 30% at one year and 40% at 3 years; in the group with PKAN syndrome, the figures were 60% at one year and 50% at two years. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment involving bilateral deep brain stimulation of the GPi nuclei in childhood cases of generalised dystonias is highly effective, the best prognoses being those offered by the group with primary dystonias and especially those related to the DYT1 mutation. Treatment also proved to be effective in the case of secondary dystonias, although with lower degrees of improvement.

Adolescent↗

Using STN DBS and medication reduction as a strategy to treat pathological gambling in Parkinson's disease.

We describe two patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who developed clinical criteria of pathological gambling addiction in the setting of increased dopamine replacement therapy (levodopa and dopamine agonist medications). The second patient showed also signs of dopamine dysregulation syndrome, with an addiction to dopaminergic medication. Neither patients responded to the standard therapy for gambling behavior, but dramatically improved after bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) and early postoperative withdrawal of dopaminergic therapy. The possible therapeutic role of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) on such a disabling behavior needs to be investigated prospectively.

Adult↗

Changes in motor cortex excitability with stimulation of anterior thalamus in epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for movement disorders and pain. Recently, bilateral DBS of the anterior nucleus of thalamus (AN) was performed for the treatment of intractable epilepsy. This surgery reduced seizure frequency in an initial group of patients. However, its physiologic effects on the cortex and mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Different classes of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have distinct effects on the excitatory and inhibitory circuits in the motor cortex, which can be studied noninvasively by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of bilateral AN DBS on motor cortex excitability in epilepsy and compare these to the known effects of AEDs. METHODS: Cortical excitability was assessed in five medicated epilepsy patients with bilateral stimulators implanted in the anterior thalamus and nine healthy controls. Single and paired TMS were used to examine cortical inhibitory and facilitatory circuits. Electromyography was recorded from the dominant hand, and TMS was applied over the contralateral motor cortex. Patients were studied during DBS turned off (OFF condition), DBS with cycling stimulation mode (1 minute on, 5 minutes off; CYCLE), and DBS with continuous stimulation (CONTINUOUS) in random order on 3 consecutive days. RESULTS: Motor thresholds were increased in the patients regardless of DBS condition. Active short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) was significantly reduced in the OFF and CYCLE conditions but returned toward normal levels in the CONTINUOUS condition. Rest SICI, long interval intracortical inhibition, and silent period duration were unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Increased short-interval intracortical inhibition with continuous deep brain stimulation (DBS) suggests that thalamic DBS might drive cortical inhibitory circuits, similar to antiepileptic drugs that enhance gamma-aminobutyric acid inhibition.

Adult↗

Vagus nerve stimulation therapy: a research update.

Over the past 5 years, and especially within the last year, there has been a rapid expansion of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)-related preclinical research, as well as clinical studies in indications other than epilepsy. The research advances in understanding VNS are occurring in the midst of a blossoming of other forms of therapeutic brain stimulation, such as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS). In general, improved understanding of the neurobiological effects of VNS therapy as a function of the different use parameters (frequency, intensity, pulse width, duration, dose) is beginning to guide clinical use and help determine which diseases, in addition to epilepsy, VNS might treat.

Anxiety↗

Bilateral subthalamic or pallidal stimulation for Parkinson's disease affects neither memory nor executive functions: a consecutive series of 62 patients.

There is a renewal of interest in surgical approaches including lesions and deep brain stimulation directed at motor subcorticofrontal loops. Bilateral lesioning presents a far greater risk of adverse effects, especially cognitive impairment. Furthermore, the main advantages of the stimulation procedure over lesioning are adaptability and reversibility of effects. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of bilateral stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus or internal globus pallidus on memory and executive functions in Parkinson's disease. Sixty-two patients were assessed before and after 3 to 6 months of chronic bilateral stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (n = 49) or internal globus pallidus (n = 13). The neuropsychological tests used were the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale, the Grober and Buschke Verbal Learning Test, the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, category and literal fluency, graphic and motor series, the Stroop Test, and the Trail Making Test. Mood was evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory. Only 4 of 25 cognitive variables were affected by deep brain stimulation. Under stimulation, performance improved for Parts A and B of the Trail Making Test, but there was a deterioration in literal and total lexical fluency. There was also a mild but significant improvement in mood. It may therefore be concluded that stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus or internal globus pallidus does not change the overall cognitive performance in Parkinson's disease and does not greatly affect the functioning of subcorticofrontal loops involved in cognition in humans. This relative absence of cognitive impairment in bilateral deep brain stimulation is likely because of the accurate positioning of the electrodes, allowing the effects of stimulation to be confined to sensorimotor circuits.

Electric Stimulation↗

Ventralis intermedius thalamotomy can succeed when ventralis intermedius thalamic stimulation fails: report of 2 cases for tremor.

In 2 patients with essential tremor, thalamotomy in the ventralis intermedius (VIM) provided lasting tremor relief after thalamic stimulation of the VIM failed. These cases illustrate that the effects of deep brain stimulation might not be those of simple inhibition, and that thalamotomy should be considered when deep brain stimulation does not succeed.

Aged↗

Behr syndrome variant with tremor treated by VIM stimulation.

Behr syndrome was first described in 1909 as a syndrome of heredofamilial optic atrophy, visual disturbances, nystagmus, and variable pyramidal tract signs. The syndrome has been reported in both sexes. So far, tremor has not been reported to be part of Behr Syndrome. We present the case of a 51-year-old man with a rare complicated dominant inherited cerebellar ataxia with accompanying visual loss and tremor (CICALVT) resembling a Behr Syndrome variant who suffered from advanced visual deterioration since childhood and progressive spastic paraparesis for 15 years. Furthermore, the patient presented increasing tremor of both hands for 5 years. The successful treatment of the tremor using deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the ventral intermediate thalamic nucleus (VIM) is reported. Our case indicates that deep brain stimulation of the ventral intermediate nucleus is an adequate operative intervention that can help to reduce tremor even in patients with complicated movement disorders.

Deep Brain Stimulation↗

Bilateral subthalamic nucleus stimulation does not improve prolonged P300 latencies in Parkinson's disease.

Bilateral deep brain stimulation is an effective treatment for most motor signs of Parkinson's disease (PD), but the effects on cognitive functions are less clear. We therefore examined the effects of bilateral deep brain stimulation on central information processing, using the event-related auditory P300 potential as an electrophysiological index of mental chronometry. Eight PD patients with bilateral stimulators within the subthalamic nuclei (STN) and eight age-matched controls participated. Patients were examined after overnight withdrawal of antiparkinson medication, both "on" and "off" stimulation (in random sequence). The P300 and reaction times were recorded using an auditory oddball paradigm. P300 latencies were prolonged in PD patients off stimulation (440 +/- 45 ms) compared to controls (397 +/- 16 ms; P < 0.05). STN stimulation significantly reduced clinical disease severity (as indexed by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale) and markedly improved reaction times, but did not improve the prolonged P300 latencies in PD patients (429 +/- 36 ms). These results confirm that P300 latencies are prolonged in PD. Significantly, bilateral STN stimulation did not improve this electrophysiological measure of cognitive impairment, even though motor disability was markedly reduced. This suggests that some dopa-responsive features are resistant to STN stimulation, possibly due to involvement of dopaminergic deficits outside the nigrostriatal pathway, which are not influenced by outflow from the STN.

Aged↗

Which symptoms of anxiety diminish after surgical interventions for Parkinson disease?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the current study was to address whether improvement in anxious symptoms after surgical treatment of Parkinson disease (PD) reflects a true reduction in anxiety as opposed to an epiphenomenon of parkinsonian symptom amelioration. BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests that anxiety is common in PD. An association between surgical intervention for PD and anxiety reduction has been reported; however, it is not clear which specific symptoms of anxiety improve. METHOD: Thirty-nine PD patients completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) approximately 1 month before and 4 months after surgery. Twenty-four participants underwent unilateral pallidotomy, 10 underwent deep brain stimulating electrode implantation of the internal segment of the globus pallidus, 4 underwent thalamic deep brain stimulating electrode implantation, and 1 underwent left thalamotomy. RESULTS: Statistically significant reductions were found postoperatively in terms of BAI total score as well as neurophysiologic, autonomic, and subjective factors from the BAI. The panic factor did not significantly change after surgery, possibly secondary to limited power afforded by the sample size. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that surgical intervention for PD is associated with reduction in anxiety symptoms distinct from symptoms of PD. In other words, improvement in anxious symptoms reflects a true reduction in anxiety rather than simply being an epiphenomenon of parkinsonian symptom amelioration.

Anxiety↗

Explosive-aggressive behavior related to bilateral subthalamic stimulation.

We describe a patient with Parkinson's Disease who underwent bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation and later presented with episodes of aggressive behavior disorder with disturbed impulse control and an inability to control anger likely related to the deep brain stimulation "switch-on stimulation". We hypothesize that increasing voltage intensity could influence neighboring passing fibers coming from basal limbic system that are involved in the regulation of affect and emotional behavior. We suggest investigating these neuropsychological disturbances considering their influence on quality of life after surgery.

Aggression↗

Two-year follow-up of chronic stimulation of the posterior subthalamic white matter for tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of unilateral deep brain stimulation on the posterior subthalamic white matter, including the zona incerta (ZI) and the prelemniscal radiation (PRL), for tremor-dominant parkinsonian patients and to determine the exact location of electrodes that were most effective. METHODS: Eight parkinsonian patients with severe resting tremor underwent unilateral stimulation of the ZI/PRL by use of stereotactic guidance. Electrophysiological targeting was obtained by macrostimulation and by somatosensory evoked potentials recorded directly through a quadripolar deep brain stimulation lead. Postoperative computed tomographic scans and magnetic resonance images were performed to confirm anatomic location of the electrode. Parkinsonian motor disabilities were evaluated by use of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale in the medication-off state before surgery and every 6 months after electrode implantations. RESULTS: The mean location of the clinically effective contacts was in the posterior subthalamic white matter, including the ZI and the PRL (mean, 5.6 +/- 1.2 mm posterior to the midcommissural point, 3.2 +/- 1.1 mm inferior to the anterior commissure-posterior commissure line, and 10.5 +/- 1.2 mm lateral to the midline). At 24 months after operation, ZI/PRL stimulation resulted in significant improvement in mean Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor score by 44.3%, contralateral tremor by 78.3%, contralateral rigidity by 92.7%, and contralateral akinesia by 65.7% above the "off-stimulation" scores. Handwriting, posture, and gait were also improved. There were no or only mild adverse events. CONCLUSION: Unilateral ZI/PRL stimulation is a reliable and long-term therapeutic modality and can be considered another surgical target for the treatment of tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease.

Aged↗

Controlling the heart via the brain: a potential new therapy for orthostatic hypotension.

OBJECTIVE: Electrical stimulation of the midbrain is known to influence blood pressure in animals. In humans, it is used for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. Our aim was to assess whether orthostatic hypotension can be successfully treated with deep brain stimulation of the periventricular/periaqueductal gray areas in humans. METHODS: We recruited 11 patients who had chronic neuropathic pain and who had undergone implantation of a deep brain stimulator in the periventricular/periaqueductal gray areas. Patients were divided into three groups depending on whether they had orthostatic hypotension (one patient), mild orthostatic intolerance (five patients), or no orthostatic intolerance (five patients). Postoperatively, we continuously recorded blood pressure and heart rate with stimulation off and on and in both sitting and standing positions. From these values, we derived the blood pressure changing rate. Using autoregressive modeling techniques, we calculated changes in low- and high-frequency power spectra of heart rate and baroreflex sensitivity. RESULTS: Electrical stimulation reduced the decrease in systolic blood pressure on standing from 28.2 to 11.1% in one patient with orthostatic hypotension (P < 0.001). In the mild orthostatic intolerance group, an initial drop in systolic blood pressure of 15.4% was completely reversed (P < 0.001). There were no side effects in the remaining group. These changes were accompanied by increases in the blood pressure changing rate, the baroreflex sensitivity, and the baseline (sitting) low-frequency power of the RR interval, but not the high-frequency power. CONCLUSION: Electrical stimulation of the human periventricular/periaqueductal gray areas can reverse orthostatic hypotension. The cause seems to be an increase in sympathetic outflow and in baroreflex sensitivity. This has important implications for future therapies.

Adult↗