Does Pallidal Physiology Determine the Success of Unilateral Deep Brain Stimulation in Cervical Dystonia?

Pallidal deep brain stimulation is a well-known surgical treatment for cervical dystonia. The resolution of dystonia typically requires bilateral pallidal stimulation, but in some instances, unilateral stimulation has been successful. In such instances, generally, the stimulated hemisphere was contralateral to the dystonic sternocleidomastoid, but rarely it was ipsilateral.

Neuronal Activity of Pallidal Versus Cerebellar Receiving Thalamus in Patients with Cervical Dystonia.

Cervical dystonia (CD) is a movement disorder characterized by a stereotyped pattern of involuntary turning or tilting of the head, often combined with jerky or tremulous movements. Hypotheses for the origin of CD have traditionally focused on the basal ganglia, but the contemporary discussion has considered the potential role of altered cerebellar function. As basal ganglia and the cerebellum largely project to the different thalamic nuclei, alterations in pallidal versus cerebellar output could be reflected in the activity of these thalamic regions.

Hyperactivity of Basal Ganglia in Patients With Parkinson's Disease During Internally Guided Voluntary Movements.

The contribution of different brain areas to internally guided (IG) and externally triggered (ET) movements has been a topic of debate. It has been hypothesized that IG movements are performed mainly through the basal ganglia-thalamocortical loop while ET movements are through the cerebello-thalamocortical pathway. We hypothesized that basal ganglia activity would be modified in patients with Parkinson's disease during IG movement as compared with normal subjects.

[Dynamics of Brain Activity during Voluntary Movement: fMRI Study].

The use of event-related fMRI makes it possible to investigate spatio-temporal dynamics of cortical and subcortical human brain structures activity during voluntary movement performance in response to presentation of relevant verbal stimuli. The results of the study showed that voluntary movement was associated with higher contralateral brain activation in a number of areas: primary motor and somatosensory cortex, premotor cortex, supplementary motor area and insula with adjacent regions. Ipsilateral activation of the cerebellum also was observed.

[Significance of local synchronization and oscillatory processes of thalamic neurons in goal-directed human behavior].

The time-frequency characteristics and interneuron interaction in the cell ensembles of non-specific (CM-Pf) and motor (Voi) thalamus were analyzed. Neuronal activity was registered by microelectrode technique during 18 stereotactic neurosurgery operations in spasmodic torticollis patients. The presentation of functionally significant verbal stimuli was accompanied by the emergence of short-term (0.