This study states that Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical procedure that is increasingly being applied to selected patients with movement disorders, and other conditions. In Parkinson’s disease (PD), DBS is particularly effective against disabling and pharmacotherapy-resistant motor symptoms.1 DBS has been effectively applied to the nucleus ventralis intermedius of the thalamus, the subthalamic nucleus (STN),2 or the internal globus pallidus.3, 4 We previously reported that DBS induces no significant brain damage between 3 and 70 months (nearly 3 years; mean 33 months) of electrode implantation, with the exception of a mild chronic tissue reaction around the lead track. Here we present postmortem neuropathological findings of four additional patients who underwent long-term DBS for a period of up to 16 years (96−192 months) nd compared them with nine additional PD patients that did not undergo DBS. Neurosurgical procedures and neuropathological workup are detailed in Supplementary file S1 and results are summarized. In all cases, we observed a mild to moderate gliofibrillar capsule around the track of the electrode, mild surrounding gliosis with occasional distortion of axonal profiles.
Reference link- https://movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mds.28653
