Functional neurosurgery

Deep brain stimulation

Copyright, NCH/MHH

 

Deep brain stimulation (DBS), in which various areas of the brain involved in the pathophysiology are electrically stimulated at high frequency via chronically implanted electrodes, is an established and effective therapy for movement disorders to improve motor symptoms and pharmacologically induced side effects. The procedure is also increasingly being used experimentally for neuropsychiatric disorders.

Projects in the field of functional neurosurgery include clinical studies on DBS in movement disorders (dystonia, Parkinson's disease), neuropsychiatric disorders (obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette's, depression) and neuropathic pain syndromes. These diseases are associated with abnormal neuronal oscillatory activity in various regions of the brain. Intraoperatively, the activity of individual nerve cells is recorded using high-resistance electrodes in order to optimally position the DBS electrodes in the target region. These recordings help to clarify the pathophysiology of neuronal activity in the various diseases. For further clarification, we derive local field potentials from the various contacts of the DBS electrodes postoperatively for selected questions, while these are externalized for clinical assessment of the stimulation success. During the recordings, various motor and cognitive tasks can be performed by the patients in order to better understand the involvement of the various brain regions in these functions.

In addition, the Clinical Department of Neurosurgery is involved in several collaborative projects (Berlin, Würzburg, Lübeck, Cologne). The STIM-TOX study should be mentioned here in particular. Another focus is the development of treatment algorithms for multifocal deep brain stimulation in rare movement disorders. In cooperation with clinical psychiatry, we are also investigating the effects of deep brain stimulation in patients with Tourette's syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder and Alzheimer's disease.


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