Disease Stabilization of DYT1-Positive Primary Generalized Dystonia With Deep Brain Stimulation of the Globus Pallidus Interna: A 15-Year Follow-up.

Background And Importance: Primary generalized dystonia (PGD) is a genetic form of dystonia that frequently displays pharmacological resistance and progresses quickly after onset. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used successfully to treat refractory dystonia, specifically globus pallidus interna (GPi) DBS for DYT1-positive PGD patients. Long-term follow-up of the safety and efficacy falls short of the longevity seen in other diseases treated with DBS.

Lateral hypothalamic area deep brain stimulation for refractory obesity: a pilot study with preliminary data on safety, body weight, and energy metabolism.

Object: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) has been suggested as a potential treatment for intractable obesity. The authors present the 2-year safety results as well as early efficacy and metabolic effects in 3 patients undergoing bilateral LHA DBS in the first study of this approach in humans.

Methods: Three patients meeting strict criteria for intractable obesity, including failed bariatric surgery, underwent bilateral implantation of LHA DBS electrodes as part of an institutional review board- and FDA-approved pilot study.

Mapping of microstimulation evoked responses and unit activity patterns in the lateral hypothalamic area recorded in awake humans. Technical note.

Major contributions to the understanding of human brain function have come from detailed clinical reports of responses evoked by electrical stimulation and specific brain regions during neurosurgical procedures in awake humans. In this study, microstimulation evoked responses and extracellular unit recordings were obtained intraoperatively in 3 awake patients undergoing bilateral implantation of deep brain stimulation electrodes in the lateral hypothalamus. The microstimulation evoked responses exhibited a clear anatomical distribution.

Induction of panic attack by stimulation of the ventromedial hypothalamus.

Panic attacks are sudden debilitating attacks of intense distress often accompanied by physical symptoms such as shortness of breath and heart palpitations. Numerous brain regions, hormones, and neurotransmitter systems are putatively involved, but the etiology and neurocircuitry of panic attacks is far from established. One particular brain region of interest is the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH).