scholarly journals Deep brain stimulation for vocal tremor: a comprehensive, multidisciplinary methodology

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. E6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen L. Ho ◽  
Elizabeth Erickson-Direnzo ◽  
Arjun V. Pendharkar ◽  
Chih-Kwang Sung ◽  
Casey H. Halpern

Tremulous voice is a characteristic feature of a multitude of movement disorders, but when it occurs in individuals diagnosed with essential tremor, it is referred to as essential vocal tremor (EVT). For individuals with EVT, their tremulous voice is associated with significant social embarrassment and in severe cases may result in the discontinuation of employment and hobbies. Management of EVT is extremely difficult, and current behavioral and medical interventions for vocal tremor result in suboptimal outcomes. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been proposed as a potential therapeutic avenue for EVT, but few studies can be identified that have systematically examined improvements in EVT following DBS. The authors describe a case of awake bilateral DBS targeting the ventral intermediate nucleus for a patient suffering from severe voice and arm tremor. They also present their comprehensive, multidisciplinary methodology for definitive treatment of EVT via DBS. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time comprehensive intraoperative voice evaluation has been used to guide microelectrode/stimulator placement, as well as the first time that standard pre- and post-DBS assessments have been conducted, demonstrating the efficacy of this tailored DBS approach.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (16) ◽  
pp. 3468
Author(s):  
Naomi I. Kremer ◽  
Rik W. J. Pauwels ◽  
Nicolò G. Pozzi ◽  
Florian Lange ◽  
Jonas Roothans ◽  
...  

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus is one of the main advanced neurosurgical treatments for drug-resistant tremor. However, not every patient may be eligible for this procedure. Nowadays, various other functional neurosurgical procedures are available. In particular cases, radiofrequency thalamotomy, focused ultrasound and radiosurgery are proven alternatives to DBS. Besides, other DBS targets, such as the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) or the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract (DRT), may be appraised as well. In this review, the clinical characteristics and pathophysiology of tremor syndromes, as well as long-term outcomes of DBS in different targets, will be summarized. The effectiveness and safety of lesioning procedures will be discussed, and an evidence-based clinical treatment approach for patients with drug-resistant tremor will be presented. Lastly, the future directions in the treatment of severe tremor syndromes will be elaborated.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Candace Borders ◽  
Frank Hsu ◽  
Alexander J. Sweidan ◽  
Emily S. Matei ◽  
Robert G. Bota

Studies suggest deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a treatment modality for the refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It is unclear where to place the DBS. Various sites are proposed for placement with the ventral capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS) among the most studied. Herein, we aim to summarize both quantitative Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) data and qualitative descriptions of the participants’ symptoms when given. A literature search conducted via PubMed yielded 32 articles. We sought to apply a standard based on the utilization of YBOCS. This yielded 153 distinct patients. The outcome measure we focused on in this review is the latest YBOCS score reported for each patient/cohort in comparison to the location of the DBS. A total of 32 articles were found in the search results. In total, 153 distinct patients’ results were reported in these studies. Across this collection of papers, a total of 9 anatomic structures were targeted. The majority of studies showed a better response at the last time point as compared to the first time point. Most patients had DBS at nucleus accumbens followed by VC/VS and the least patients had DBS at the bilateral superolateral branch of the median forebrain bundle and the bilateral basolateral amygdala. The average YBOCS improvement did not seem to directly correlate with the percentile of patients responding to the intervention. Well-controlled, randomized studies with larger sample sizes with close follow up are needed to provide a more accurate determination for placement of DBS for OCD.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maarten Bot ◽  
Anne-Fleur van Rootselaari ◽  
Vincent Odekerken ◽  
Joke Dijk ◽  
Rob M A de Bie ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Dentato-rubro-thalamic tract (DRT) deep brain stimulation (DBS) suppresses tremor in essential tremor (ET) patients. However, DRT depiction through tractography can vary depending on the included brain regions. Moreover, it is unclear which section of the DRT is optimal for DBS. OBJECTIVE To evaluate deterministic DRT tractography and tremor control in DBS for ET. METHODS After DBS surgery, DRT tractography was conducted in 37 trajectories (20 ET patients). Per trajectory, 5 different DRT depictions with various regions of interest (ROI) were constructed. Comparison resulted in a DRT depiction with highest correspondence to intraoperative tremor control. This DRT depiction was subsequently used for evaluation of short-term postoperative adverse and beneficial effects. RESULTS Postoperative optimized DRT tractography employing the ROI motor cortex, posterior subthalamic area (PSA), and ipsilateral superior cerebellar peduncle and dentate nucleus best corresponded with intraoperative trajectories (92%) and active DBS contacts (93%) showing optimal tremor control. DRT tractography employing a red nucleus or ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus (VIM) ROI often resulted in a more medial course. Optimal stimulation was located in the section between VIM and PSA. CONCLUSION This optimized deterministic DRT tractography strongly correlates with optimal tremor control. This technique is readily implementable for prospective evaluation in DBS target planning for ET.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-29
Author(s):  
Hongjie Jiang ◽  
Rui Wang ◽  
Zhe Zheng ◽  
Junming Zhu

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used as a safe and effective neuromodulation technique for treatment of various diseases. A large number of patients suffering from movement disorders such as dyskinesia may benefit from DBS. Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of permanent disorders mainly involving motor impairment, and medical interventions are usually unsatisfactory or temporarily active, especially for dyskinetic CP. DBS may be another approach to the treatment of CP. In this review we discuss the targets for DBS and the mechanisms of action for the treatment of CP, and focus on presurgical assessment, efficacy for dystonia and other symptoms, safety, and risks.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 925
Author(s):  
Christian Iorio-Morin ◽  
Anton Fomenko ◽  
Suneil K. Kalia

Tremor is a prevalent symptom associated with multiple conditions, including essential tremor (ET), Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke and trauma. The surgical management of tremor evolved from stereotactic lesions to deep-brain stimulation (DBS), which allowed safe and reversible interference with specific neural networks. This paper reviews the current literature on DBS for tremor, starting with a detailed discussion of current tremor targets (ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus (Vim), prelemniscal radiations (Raprl), caudal zona incerta (Zi), thalamus (Vo) and subthalamic nucleus (STN)) and continuing with a discussion of results obtained when performing DBS in the various aforementioned tremor syndromes. Future directions for DBS research are then briefly discussed.


Neurology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (10) ◽  
pp. e1073-e1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Tsuboi ◽  
Zakia Jabarkheel ◽  
Pamela R. Zeilman ◽  
Matthew J. Barabas ◽  
Kelly D. Foote ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo assess longitudinal tremor outcomes with ventral intermediate nucleus deep brain stimulation (VIM DBS) in patients with dystonic tremor (DT) and to compare with DBS outcomes in essential tremor (ET).MethodsWe retrospectively investigated VIM DBS outcomes for 163 patients followed at our center diagnosed with either DT or ET. The Fahn-Tolosa-Marin tremor rating scale (TRS) was used to assess change in tremor and activities of daily living (ADL) at 6 months, 1 year, 2–3 years, 4–5 years, and ≥6 years after surgery.ResultsTwenty-six patients with DT and 97 patients with ET were analyzed. Compared to preoperative baseline, there were significant improvements in TRS motor up to 4–5 years (52.2%; p = 0.032) but this did not reach statistical significance at ≥6 years (46.0%, p = 0.063) in DT, which was comparable to the outcomes in ET. While the improvements in the upper extremity tremor, head tremor, and axial tremor were also comparable between DT and ET throughout the follow-up, the ADL improvements in DT were lost at 2–3 years follow-up.ConclusionOverall, tremor control with VIM DBS in DT and ET was comparable and remained sustained at long term likely related to intervention at the final common node in the pathologic tremor network. However, the long-term ADL improvements in DT were not sustained, possibly due to inadequate control of concomitant dystonia symptoms. These findings from a large cohort of DT indicate that VIM targeting is reasonable if the tremor is considerably more disabling than the dystonic features.Classification of evidenceThis study provides Class IV evidence that VIM DBS improves tremor in patients with DT or ET.


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