Deep Brain Stimulation in the Treatment of Neurological Movement Disorders

Deep brain stimulation is a surgical method for inactivating a circumscribed and dysfunctional area of the brain. An electrode is implanted into the brain target and connected to a pulse generator, which delivers chronically a high-frequency Current. The high-frequency electrical stimulation induces a "lesioning-like" effect within a distance of a few millimetres around the electrode. Symptoms that are caused by pathological neuronal activity within the target region can be effectively controlled by this means. Deep brain stimulation is applied for treating neurological movement disorders, chronic pain syndromes, drug-refractory epilepsies and, most recently, psychatric conditions such as severe obsessive-compulsive or depressive disorders. This review summarises the treatment results in tremors, dystonias, Parkinson's disease and tic disorders and explains which patients are eligible for such an interventional therapy.