We report the case history of a 75-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease who developed severe cognitive problems after deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the bilateral subthalamic nuclei (STN). After a brief cognitive improvement, the patient gradually deteriorated until she developed full-blown dementia. We discuss the case with respect to the cognitive effects of STN DBS and the possible risk ...

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of bilateral pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a treatment for primary progressive freezing of gait (PPFG). METHODS A patient with PPFG underwent bilateral PPN-DBS and was followed clinically for over 14 months. RESULTS The PPFG patient exhibited a robust improvement in gait and posture following PPN-DBS. When PPN stimulation was...

Sexual function and orientation is a complex platform of human personality which is being modulated by several brain circuities which is less understood currently. Recently, several studies have demonstrated interesting results regarding the role of several brain locations in sexual behaviors and orientation. Sexual arousal in homosexual men are associated with activation of the left angular gy...

In recounting his experience with deep brain stimulation (DBS), a practicing dentist challenged with long-standing bilateral essential tremor of the hands shares insights into his diagnosis, treatments, and ultimately successful DBS surgery at Stanford University Medical Center, CA, USA. Now nearly one year after his surgery, his practice continues to flourish and he encourages others in his pr...

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). The mechanism is poorly understood. High-frequency STN DBS has been reported to affect motor cortex excitability in a complex way, but the timing between STN stimuli and changes in motor cortical (M1) excitability has not been investigated. We examined the time course of changes...

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been an established surgical treatment option for dyskinesia from Parkinson disease and for dystonia. The present article deals with the timing of surgical intervention, selecting an appropriate target, and minimizing adverse effects. We provide an overview of current evidences and issues for dyskinesia and dystonia as well as emerging DBS technology.

McIntyre, Cameron C., Warren M. Grill, David L. Sherman, and Nitish V. Thakor. Cellular effects of deep brain stimulation: model-based analysis of activation and inhibition. J Neurophysiol 91: 1457–1469, 2004. First published December 10, 2003; 10.1152/jn.00989.2003. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective therapy for medically refractory movement disorders. However, fundamental questions ...

In recent months, there has been substantial publicity about the possibility of treating tics in Tourette Syndrome (TS) with deep brain stimulation (DBS). This publicity has resulted in increased interest among individuals TS and their families. Very little is known about the use of DBS for treating other movement disorders such as Parkinson disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. Below are so...

A number of different approaches have been utilized in recent years for the treatment of Parkinson's disease with varying effects on associated communication disorders. In particular, the drug treatments based on levodopa therapy and, more recently, deep brain stimulation of the sub-thalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) have yielded variable effects on the speech disorders exhibited by the majority of per...

We provide empirical evidence that people who believe in dualism are more likely to be uncomfortable with Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and to view it as threatening to their identity, humanity, or self. It is (neurocentric) materialists—who think the mind just is the brain—that are less inclined to fear DBS or to see it as threatening. We suggest various possible reasons for this connection. Th...