Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Nov 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialSite of deep brain stimulation and jaw velocity in Parkinson disease.
While deep brain stimulation (DBS) has proven to be an effective treatment for many symptoms of Parkinson disease (PD), a deterioration of axial symptoms frequently occurs, particularly for speech and swallowing. These unfavorable effects of DBS may depend on the site of stimulation. The authors made quantitative measures of jaw velocity to compare the relative effectiveness of DBS in the globus pallidus internus (GPi) or the subthalamic nucleus (STN). This was a randomized, double-blind, and longitudinal study, with matched healthy controls. ⋯ The authors' results suggest that either the electrode implant in STN or the subsequent period of continuous STN stimulation negatively affected voluntary jaw velocity, including the loss of the preoperative levodopa-induced improvement. While the GPi group showed some improvement in voluntary jaw velocity postoperatively, their performance during the combination of DBS and levodopa was not different from their best medical management presurgery. The results have implications for DBS target selection, particularly for those patients with oromotor dysfunctions.