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New technique can precisely locate subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson's patients Published on September 7, 2011 at 7:13 AM · No Comments inShare2 Deep brain stimulation stops limb tremors in Parkinson's patients. But positioning the stimulation electrode in the brain must be done very precisely to avoid undesired side-effects. To make this possible, researcher Ellen Brunenberg of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has developed a method for precise, external localization of the right part of the brain: the motor area of the subthalamic nucleus. She has found an ingenious way to localize this 'magic area': by using MRI to visualize the pathways in the brain that lead to it. "If you take away the towns and cities on a map, you can still see where they are located from the pattern of the roads", says Brunenberg, who will gain her PhD on Thursday 8 September for her thesis entitled 'Hitting the right target'. Deep brain stimulation has been used since the 1980s on patients with a severe form of Parkinson's disease. Symptoms of this incurable brain disease include the well-known tremors of arms and legs. In deep brain stimulation, an electrode is introduced into the subthalamic nucleus of the patient's brain, an area the size of a cashew nut. The pulses from the electrode cause the tremors to virtually disappear. But there are often side-effects, ranging from memory loss and behavioral abnormalities through to depression and extreme susceptibility to addiction. This is because the pulses stimulate not only the motor area of the subthalamic nucleus, but also the areas associated with emotions and thought. It is therefore important to position the electrode precisely: not just in the subthalamic nucleus itself, but also in the right part of it. But how can physicians see exactly where this tiny area is located in a patient's brain? Roads Brunenberg and her colleagues have developed a technique that for the first time allows non invasive imaging of the different areas in the subthalamic nucleus. They do this using advanced MRI technology. "It's difficult to image the nucleus directly with MRI, because it is too much like the surrounding brain tissue. But as my supervisor professor Bart ter Haar Romeny says: if you take away the towns and cities on a map, you can still see where they should be located from the pattern of the roads." Published on September 7, 2011 at 7:13 AM · No Comments inShare2 Deep brain stimulation stops limb tremors in Parkinson's patients. But positioning the stimulation electrode in the brain must be done very precisely to avoid undesired side-effects. To make this possible, researcher Ellen Brunenberg of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) has developed a method for precise, external localization of the right part of the brain: the motor area of the subthalamic nucleus. She has found an ingenious way to localize this 'magic area': by using MRI to visualize the pathways in the brain that lead to it. "If you take away the towns and cities on a map, you can still see where they are located from the pattern of the roads", says Brunenberg, who will gain her PhD on Thursday 8 September for her thesis entitled 'Hitting the right target'. Deep brain stimulation has been used since the 1980s on patients with a severe form of Parkinson's disease. Symptoms of this incurable brain disease include the well-known tremors of arms and legs. In deep brain stimulation, an electrode is introduced into the subthalamic nucleus of the patient's brain, an area the size of a cashew nut. The pulses from the electrode cause the tremors to virtually disappear. But there are often side-effects, ranging from memory loss and behavioral abnormalities through to depression and extreme susceptibility to addiction. This is because the pulses stimulate not only the motor area of the subthalamic nucleus, but also the areas associated with emotions and thought. It is therefore important to position the electrode precisely: not just in the subthalamic nucleus itself, but also in the right part of it. But how can physicians see exactly where this tiny area is located in a patient's brain? Roads Brunenberg and her colleagues have developed a technique that for the first time allows non invasive imaging of the different areas in the subthalamic nucleus. They do this using advanced MRI technology. "It's difficult to image the nucleus directly with MRI, because it is too much like the surrounding brain tissue. But as my supervisor professor Bart ter Haar Romeny says: if you take away the towns and cities on a map, you can still see where they should be located from the pattern of the roads." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn