Perspectives of Implementation of Closed-Loop Deep Brain Stimulation: From Neurological to Psychiatric Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a highly efficient, evidence-based therapy to alleviate symptoms and improve quality of life in movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and dystonia, which is also being applied in several psychiatric disorders, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression, when they are otherwise resistant to therapy. SUMMARY: At present, DBS is clinically applied in the so-called open-loop approach, with fixed stimulation parameters, irrespective of the patients' clinical state(s). This approach ignores the brain states or feedback from the central nervous system or peripheral recordings, thus potentially limiting its efficacy and inducing side effects by stimulation of the targeted networks below or above the therapeutic level. KEY MESSAGES: The currently emerging closed-loop (CL) approaches are designed to adapt stimulation parameters to the electrophysiological surrogates of disease symptoms and states. CL-DBS paves the way for adaptive personalized DBS protocols. This review elaborates on the perspectives of the CL technology and discusses its opportunities as well as its potential pitfalls for both clinical and research use in neuropsychiatric disorders.

The impact of deep brain stimulation on tinnitus.

BACKGROUND: Tinnitus is a disorder of the nervous system that cannot be adequately treated with current therapies. The effect of neuromodulation induced by deep brain stimulation (DBS) on tinnitus has not been studied well. This study investigated the effect of DBS on tinnitus by use of a multicenter questionnaire study. METHODS: Tinnitus was retrospectively assessed prior to DBS and at the current situation (with DBS). From the 685 questionnaires, 443 were returned. A control group was one-to-one matched to DBS patients who had tinnitus before DBS (n = 61). Tinnitus was assessed by the tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) and visual analog scales (VAS) of loudness and burden. RESULTS: The THI decreased significantly during DBS compared to the situation prior to surgery (from 18.9 to 15.1, P < .001), which was only significant for DBS in the subthalamic nucleus (STN). The THI in the control group (36.9 to 35.5, P = 0.50) and other DBS targets did not change. The VAS loudness increased in the control group (5.4 to 6.0 P < .01). CONCLUSION: DBS might have a modulatory effect on tinnitus. Our study suggests that DBS of the STN may have a beneficial effect on tinnitus, but most likely other nuclei linked to the tinnitus circuitry might be even more effective.

Long-term results of a multicenter study on subthalamic and pallidal stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

We report the 5 to 6 year follow-up of a multicenter study of bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus internus (GPi) deep brain stimulation (DBS) in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Thirty-five STN patients and 16 GPi patients were assessed at 5 to 6 years after DBS surgery. Primary outcome measure was the stimulation effect on the motor Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) assessed with a prospective cross-over double-blind assessment without medications (stimulation was randomly switched on or off). Secondary outcomes were motor UPDRS changes with unblinded assessments in off- and on-medication states with and without stimulation, activities of daily living (ADL), anti-PD medications, and dyskinesias. In double-blind assessment, both STN and GPi DBS were significantly effective in improving the motor UPDRS scores (STN, P < 0.0001, 45.4%; GPi, P = 0.008, 20.0%) compared with off-stimulation, regardless of the sequence of stimulation. In open assessment, both STN- and GPi-DBS significantly improved the off-medication motor UPDRS when compared with before surgery (STN, P < 0.001, 50.5%; GPi, P = 0.002, 35.6%). Dyskinesias and ADL were significantly improved in both groups. Anti-PD medications were significantly reduced only in the STN group. Adverse events were more frequent in the STN group. These results confirm the long-term efficacy of STN and GPi DBS in advanced PD. Although the surgical targets were not randomized, there was a trend to a better outcome of motor signs in the STN-DBS patients and fewer adverse events in the GPi-DBS group.

High frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus is efficacious in Parkin disease.

High frequency stimulation (HFS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an efficacious symptomatic treatment for Parkinson's disease. We have analysed the genetic status of a series of consecutive parkinsonian patients implanted for STN HFS and compared the outcome of five carrying mutations in the parkin gene with that of the non-parkin group. All patients obtained sustained control of PD symptoms and achieved functional improvement; in the parkin group the UPDRS motor score improved by 56.4%, the levodopa equivalent daily dosage was reduced by 75.5%. Postoperative medications were reduced more in parkin than in non-parkin patients. We confirm that the current inclusion criteria for STN HFS do not exclude patients carrying mutations in the parkin gene; their clinical outcome is comparable to that of the non-parkin group.