The impact of bilateral subthalamic deep brain stimulation on long-latency event-related potentials

Kovacs, Norbert; Balas, Istvan; Kellenyi, Lorant; Janszky, Jozsef; Feldmann, Adam; Llumiguano, Carlos; Doczi, Tamas P.; Ajtay, Zeno; Nagy, Ferenc

doi:10.1016/j.parkreldis.2008.01.002

« Previous Next »Parkinsonism & Related Disorders
Volume 14, Issue 6 , Pages 476-480, August 2008

The impact of bilateral subthalamic deep brain stimulation on long-latency event-related potentials

Norbert Kovacs
- Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Ret utca 2, H-7623 Pecs, Hungary
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +36 70 2221178; fax: +36 72 535911.
Istvan Balas
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
Lorant Kellenyi
- Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Ret utca 2, H-7623 Pecs, Hungary
Jozsef Janszky
- Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Ret utca 2, H-7623 Pecs, Hungary
Adam Feldmann
- Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Ret utca 2, H-7623 Pecs, Hungary
Carlos Llumiguano
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
Tamas P. Doczi
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
Zeno Ajtay
- Heart Institute, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary
Ferenc Nagy
- Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Ret utca 2, H-7623 Pecs, Hungary

Received 27 November 2007; received in revised form 6 January 2008; accepted 15 January 2008.

Abstract

The analysis of long-latency event-related potentials (ERPs) is of importance in the evaluation of certain cognitive functions and in following their subsequent changes. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether deep brain stimulation (DBS) itself can cause changes in the configuration of the ERPs.

Using a standard oddball auditory paradigm, we elicited auditory cognitive ERPs in 23 Parkinson's disease patients (in both DBS-ON and DBS-OFF conditions) and in 14 healthy controls. The P200 and P300 amplitudes and latencies, the motor reaction times and the accuracy of button pressing were compared between the DBS-ON and DBS-OFF states and subsequently correlated with the applied stimulation voltage and disease duration.

Comparison of the DBS-ON and DBS-OFF conditions revealed that neither the amplitude nor the latency of the examined ERP components changed significantly. However, the behavioral and attentional aspects (e.g. the accuracy of the button pressing responses to the target signal) definitely improved after the DBS was turned on. Positive correlations were demonstrated between the P300 amplitudes over the central and frontal regions and the optimal stimulation voltage and between the disease duration and P300 latencies over the Cz and Fz sites.

In conclusion, our data indicate that DBS may have different impacts on various electrophysiological parameters during the oddball paradigm.

Keywords: Deep brain stimulation, P300, Event-related potentials, Subthalamic nucleus