Optimal stimulation site for Parkinson's disease within the MRI-defined subthalamic nucleus

Objective: To determine, how the electrode location within the MRI-defined subthalamic nucleus relates to the benefit of deep brain stimulation in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD). Aims: Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is a surgical therapy for alleviating levodopa-responsive symptoms in PD. The STN can be directly visualized in T2W-MRI as a hypointense, ovoid structure in the midbrain lateral to the red nucleus. Microelectrode recordings in PD patients and anatomical data in animals identified the dorsolateral region of the STN as the sensorimotor territory. It is currently unknown,…