A method to quantitatively evaluate tremor during deep brain stimulation surgery

International audienceDeep brain stimulation (DBS) of basal ganglia using surgically implanted electrodes is now an effective and widely-used method to treat neurological movement related disorders such as Parkinson's Disease (PD) and Essential Tremor (ET). The mechanism of action of DBS is not fully understood; optimal target definition is difficult and thus most groups use complementary intraoperative methods. Intraoperative stimulation tests are performed along the predetermined trajectories to evaluate the clinical effects on tremor while gradually increasing the stimulation parameters (voltage/current), determining the thresholds for clinical effects (subjective threshold) and side effects at each anatomical measurement position. Currently, these evaluations are performed semi quantitatively by the neurosurgeon or the neurologist. Our method intends to improve the targeting procedure and make it more objective by measuring the acceleration of the patient's wrist