BACKGROUND: The long-term neuropsychological and quality of life (QOL) outcomes of unilateral thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with intractable Parkinson's disease (PD) have not heretofore been described. METHOD: Six patients diagnosed with PD underwent unilateral DBS implantation into a verified thalamic VIM nucleus target. Participants completed presurgical neuropsychological evaluation and follow-up assessment at approximately one year postsurgery. FINDINGS: Compared to their presurgical scores, PD patients exhibited significant improvement on measures of conceptualization, verbal memory, emotional adjustment, and QOL at one-year follow-up. A few nominal declines were observed across the battery of tests. INTERPRETATION: These data provide preliminary support for the long-term neurocognitive safety and QOL improvements following thalamic stimulation in patients with PD.
BACKGROUND: The long-term neuropsychological and quality of life (QOL) outcomes of unilateral thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with intractable Parkinson's disease (PD) have not heretofore been described. METHOD: Six patients diagnosed with PD underwent unilateral DBS implantation into a verified thalamic VIM nucleus target. Participants completed presurgical neuropsychological evaluation and follow-up assessment at approximately one year postsurgery. FINDINGS: Compared to their presurgical scores, PDpatients exhibited significant improvement on measures of conceptualization, verbal memory, emotional adjustment, and QOL at one-year follow-up. A few nominal declines were observed across the battery of tests. INTERPRETATION: These data provide preliminary support for the long-term neurocognitive safety and QOL improvements following thalamic stimulation in patients with PD.
Authors: J A Fields; A I Tröster; S P Woods; C I Higginson; S B Wilkinson; K E Lyons; W C Koller; R Pahwa Journal: J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry Date: 2003-03 Impact factor: 10.154
Authors: Atchar Sudhyadhom; Frank J Bova; Kelly D Foote; Christian A Rosado; Lindsey Kirsch-Darrow; Michael S Okun Journal: Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep Date: 2007-07 Impact factor: 5.081