Atlas of the Human Deep Brain Nuclei, Connections, and Vasculature

Introduction

Deep-brain stimulation, DBS in short, is one of the most promising surgical treatments for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), and more recently, neuropsychiatric diseases such as obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Purpose of DBS Surgery

During DBS surgery, a microelectrode is lowered deep into the brain with the aim to stimulate small subcortical nuclei in order to alleviate disease-related symptoms such as rigidity and tremor as seen in patients with PD.

Effects of Suboptimal Electrode Placement

Studies using DBS in PD patients show that a suboptimal placement of electrodes in, for example, the Subthalamic Nucleus (STN) or Globus Pallidus (GP), can yield changes in:

1. Cognitive processes (e.g., attention, mental speed, response inhibition)
2. Affective states (e.g., depression, hypomania, anxiety, hypersexuality, and hallucinations)

These unwanted side effects of DBS are speculated to be the result of:

• The stimulation of subareas other than the motor zone within these nuclei
• The stimulation of white matter connections
• The dysregulation of blood flow to neighboring areas

Project Aim

Our aim is to create an atlas of the human Deep Brain nuclei, connections, and vasculature (DeepBrainVascu) to substantially improve the outcome of DBS by significantly reducing unwanted side effects.