Mechanisms of deep brain stimulation

Abstract

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is widely used for the treatment of movement disorders including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, and dystonia and, to a lesser extent, certain treatment-resistant neuropsychiatric disorders including obsessive-compulsive disorder. Rather than a single unifying mechanism, DBS likely acts via several, nonexclusive mechanisms including local and network-wide electrical and neurochemical effects of stimulation, modulation of oscillatory activity, synaptic plasticity, and, potentially, neuroprotection and neurogenesis. These different mechanisms vary in importance depending on the condition being treated and the target being stimulated. Here we review each of these in turn and illustrate how an understanding of these mechanisms is inspiring next-generation approaches to DBS.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Jan 01, 2016
Source ID
10.1152/jn.00281.2015

Entities

People

  • Emad N. Eskandar
  • Jennifer J. Cheng
  • Todd M. Herrington

Organizations

  • Harvard Medical School
  • Johns Hopkins Hospital
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Medicine
  • Psychology

Readers

  • Auditory Neuroscience/Auditory Physiology.
  • Neuroscience
  • Theoretical Analysis.