Intracranial self-stimulation behaviour in rats elicited by STN-stimulation

High frequency stimulation (HFS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) has emerged as a powerful therapeutic strategy in the treatment of levodopa-sensitive motor symptoms in late stage Parkinson's Disease (PD). Recently, there has been an increasing number of case reports indicating that STN-HFS also influences various non-motor aspects of behaviour, such as cognition, mood and motivation. These consequences of STN-HFS could be attributed to associative, limbic and motor cortical and subcortical loops involving the STN, suggesting STN-HFS to directly affect both motor as well as non-motor behavioural functions. The…