Combined pedunculopontine-subthalamic stimulation in Parkinson disease

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) and caudal zona incerta (cZi)—both separately and in combination—on motor symptoms and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Methods: Four patients with bilateral cZi and PPN DBS electrodes were rated with the Unified Parkinson9s Disease Rating Scale motor subscale (UPDRS-III) when taking and withdrawn from medication. A block of 16 [¹⁵O]-H₂O PET resting measurements of rCBF were performed in 4 different states with patients withdrawn from medication: 1) no stimulation, 2) cZi stimulation alone, 3) PPN stimulation alone, 4) combined PPN/cZi stimulation. Results: When patients were medicated, combined PPN/cZi stimulation produced a statistically significant improvement in UPDRS-III score compared to cZi stimulation alone. In the “off” medication state, the clinical effect of combined stimulation was not significantly different from that induced by cZi stimulation alone. Concomitant PPN/cZi stimulation had a cumulative effect on levels of rCBF, effectively combining subcortical and cortical changes induced by stimulation of either target in isolation. Conclusions: These findings suggest that concomitant low frequency stimulation of PPN and cZi regions induces additive brain activation changes and provides improved control of PD symptoms when medicated. Classification of evidence: This study provides Class IV evidence that concomitant low frequency stimulation of PPN and cZI improves motor symptoms in patients with PD on dopamine replacement. It provides Class III evidence that concomitant low frequency stimulation of PPN and cZi induces additive rCBF changes in motor areas of brain.