Effect of Dexmedetomidine on Perception of Paresthesia during Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become a well-established treatment for the management of Parkinson's disease (PD). The most common method of lead targeting utilizes microelectrode recording (MER) and intraoperative macrostimulation to confirm accurate placement of the lead. This has been significantly aided by the use of dexmedetomidine (DEX) sedation during the procedure.

A Case Report of Siblings with Dystonia: A Potential Link Between DYT11 Mutation and Platelet Dysfunction.

Myoclonus-dystonia syndrome (MDS) is an autosomal dominant disorder due to a mutated epsilon-sarcoglycan gene (SGCE) at the dystonia 11 (DYT11) locus on chromosome 7q21-31. ε-sarcoglycan has been identified in vascular smooth muscle and has been suggested to stabilize the capillary system. This report describes two siblings with MDS treated with bilateral globus pallidus interna deep brain stimulation.

Neuromodulation in Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Epidemiological studies show a steady rise in the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Untreated OSA is responsible for numerous chronic health conditions, motor vehicle, and workplace-related accidents leading to substantial economic burden both to the individual and society. Multiple causes for OSA and a wide range of consequences has made its diagnosis and treatment difficult.

Deep Brain Stimulation for Refractory Depression, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Addiction.

Background: Depression, Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD), and addiction are the leading disabling psychiatric conditions with huge health care and psychosocial burden besides increased morbidity and mortality. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for depression, OCD, and addiction is increasingly explored and is quite challenging. We present a brief review of the pertinent literature of DBS for depression, OCD, and addiction and present the status and challenges.

Deep Brain Stimulation and Motor Cortex Stimulation for Chronic Pain.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) and Motor Cortex stimulation (MCS) have been used for control of chronic pain. Chronic pain of any origin is complex and difficult to treat. Stimulation of various areas in brain-like sensory thalamus, medial nuclei of thalamus including centro-lateral nucleus of thalamus (CL), periaqueductal gray, periventricular gray, nucleus accumbence and motor cortex provides partial relief in properly selected patients.

Peripheral Neuromodulation for Chronic Pain.

Background: Chronic, focal, neuropathic pain is difficult to treat. Local nerve blocks are either ineffective or do not last. Regular neuromodulation modalities like spinal cord stimulation (SCS) or pain pump are invasive and affect a larger area.

Microsurgery and Neuromodulation for Facial Spasms.

Facial spasms are of various types. Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is characterized by unilateral tonic-clonic contractions of facial muscles, following a specific pattern of disease progression. It has well-delineated clinical, radiological and electrophysiological features.

Neuromodulation Options and Patient Selection for Parkinson's Disease.

Neuromodulation therapies, including deep brain stimulation (DBS) and pump therapies, are currently the standard of care for PD patients with advanced disease and motor complications that are difficult to control with medical management alone. The quest for alternate lesser invasive approaches led to the development of several novel therapies like intrajejunal levodopa infusions (IJLI), continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusions (CSAI) and Magnetic Resonance guided Focused Ultrasound (MRgFUS) in recent years. To achieve good outcomes with any of these therapeutic modalities, careful patient selection, multidisciplinary evaluation and technical expertise are equally important.

Fundamentals of Neuromodulation and Pathophysiology of Neural Networks in Health and Disease.

Neuromodulation involves altering neuronal circuitry and subsequent physiological changes with the aim to ameliorate neurological symptoms. Over the years several techniques have been used to obtain neuromodulatory effects for treatment of conditions including Parkinson disease, essential tremor, dystonia or seizures. We provide brief description of the various therapeutics that have been used and mechanisms involved in pathophysiology of these disorders as well as the therapeutic mechanisms of the treatment modalities.

Enhancing analgesic spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain with personalized immersive virtual reality.

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an approved treatment for truncal and limb neuropathic pain. However, pain relief is often suboptimal and SCS efficacy may reduce over time, requiring sometimes the addition of other pain therapies, stimulator revision, or even explantation. We designed and tested a new procedure by combining SCS with immersive virtual reality (VR) to enable analgesia in patients with chronic leg pain.

Direct Comparison of Posterior Subthalamic Area Stimulation versus Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease.

In this case report, we describe successful tremor capture via stimulation of the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) for a patient with tremor-predominant Parkinson's disease. In this scenario, the patient had a deep brain stimulation (DBS) lead placed in the PSA of the right hemisphere and a DBS lead placed in the subthalmic nucleus (STN) of the left hemisphere. Therefore, we were able to directly compare tremor capture in the same patient receiving stimulation in two different brain areas.

Predicting extended hospital stay after deep brain stimulation surgery in Parkinson's patients.

Background: The goal of deep brain stimulation (DBS) is to achieve maximal benefit for the patient while minimizing the likelihood of adverse effects. Currently, no standardized criteria exist that predicts extended hospital stay in DBS patients, although careful patient selection is recognized as a very important step for successful DBS therapy.

Objectives And Methods: The objective of this study was to identify eight key factors that predicted extended post-operative hospital stay following DBS lead implantation, in an effort to better identify patients that would require minimal hospital stay, resulting in reduced cost and reduced exposure to hospital- related problems.

Connectivity-based selection of optimal deep brain stimulation contacts: A feasibility study.

Background: The selection of optimal deep brain stimulation (DBS) parameters is time-consuming, experience-dependent, and best suited when acute effects of stimulation can be observed (e.g., tremor reduction).

The relative effects of dexmedetomidine and propofol on cerebral blood flow velocity and regional brain oxygenation: A randomised noninferiority trial.

Background: Dexmedetomidine constricts cerebral blood vessels without a concomitant reduction in cerebral metabolic oxygen consumption. Its safety as a sedative in patients with neurological diseases thus remains uncertain.

Objective: Our primary objective was to test the hypothesis that dexmedetomidine is noninferior to propofol as regards cerebral blood flow (CBF) velocity and brain oxygenation.

Sandwich technique, peripheral nerve stimulation, peripheral field stimulation and hybrid stimulation for inguinal region and genital pain.

Objective: Ilioinguinal neuralgia (IG) and genitofemoral (GF) neuralgia following inguinal hernia repair is a chronic and debilitating neuropathic condition. Recently, peripheral nerve stimulation has become an effective and minimally invasive option for the treatment of refractory pain. Here we present a retrospective case series of six patients who underwent placement of peripheral nerve stimulation electrodes using various techniques for treatment of refractory post-intervention inguinal region pain.

Intraoperative Hypotension During Second Stage of Deep Brain Stimulator Placement: Same Day versus Different Day Procedures.

Background: We evaluated blood pressure management associated with implantable pulse generator (IPG) procedure on same day (SD) versus different day (DD) from deep brain stimulation (DBS) placement.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of 99 records for vasopressors given during IPG using a negative binomial regression model was performed. An association between SD versus DD, cumulative vasopressor dose, and minimum and maximum mean arterial pressure (MAP) were sought.

Restoring cortical control of functional movement in a human with quadriplegia.

Millions of people worldwide suffer from diseases that lead to paralysis through disruption of signal pathways between the brain and the muscles. Neuroprosthetic devices are designed to restore lost function and could be used to form an electronic 'neural bypass' to circumvent disconnected pathways in the nervous system. It has previously been shown that intracortically recorded signals can be decoded to extract information related to motion, allowing non-human primates and paralysed humans to control computers and robotic arms through imagined movements.

Emerging applications of deep brain stimulation.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) implantation surgery is an established treatment modality for a variety of medical refractory movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, essential tremors and dystonia. Following the success of DBS in these movement disorders with a high rate of safety and efficacy, there is a resurgence of interest in the utility of this modality in other medical refractory disorders. Consequently, neuromodulation has been explored for a variety of refractory conditions such as neuropsychiatric disorders (major depressive disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, addictions), eating disorders including obesity, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), dementias and chronic pain.

Accuracy and safety of targeting using intraoperative "O-arm" during placement of deep brain stimulation electrodes without electrophysiological recordings.

The aim of our study was to investigate the accuracy of targeting using intraoperative "O-arm" during deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. Intraoperative O-arm (Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, USA) images were obtained to confirm the accuracy of placement. The difference between intended and actual target coordinates was calculated based on intraoperative images and postoperative CT scan.

Neuromodulation as a last resort option in the treatment of chronic daily headaches in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

Objective: To determine the feasibility and efficacy of occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) in patients with refractory headaches secondary to idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).

Background: IIH is a syndrome characterized by elevated intracranial pressures in the absence of a mass lesion. These patients typically present with chronic and intractable headaches.

Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI): Modulation of Cortical Connectivity With Therapeutic SCS.

Introduction: The neurophysiological basis of pain relief due to spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and the related cortical processing of sensory information are not completely understood. The aim of this study was to use resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to detect changes in cortical networks and cortical processing related to the stimulator-induced pain relief.

Methods: Ten patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) or neuropathic leg pain underwent thoracic epidural spinal cord stimulator implantation.