2009•University of Twente Research InformationRequires access
THE PEDUNCULOPONTINE NUCLEUS AS ALTERNATIVE TARGET FOR DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION
M.A.J. Lourens, Hil G. E. Meijer, Tjitske Heida, Stephan A. van Gils
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Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with motor and nonmotor symptoms. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical treatment where an electrode is implanted in a certain area in the brain. In PD this is mostly done in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) or the globus pallidus interna (GPi). High frequency stimulation (~130 Hz) is often a successful treatment. The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) has recently been suggested as a new therapeutic target for DBS, particularly for patients with severe gait and postural impairment [2]. Stimulation at this site is typically delivered at low frequencies in contrast to the high frequency stimulation required for therapeutic benefit in STN [2]. Despite real therapeutic successes, the fundamental physiological mechanisms underlying the effect of DBS are still not understood. To get a better understanding of PPN stimulation we construct a computational model for PPN Type I neurons.