scholarly journals Closed-Loop Deep Brain Stimulation to Treat Medication-Refractory Freezing of Gait in Parkinson’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rene Molina ◽  
Chris J. Hass ◽  
Stephanie Cernera ◽  
Kristen Sowalsky ◽  
Abigail C. Schmitt ◽  
...  

Background: Treating medication-refractory freezing of gait (FoG) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains challenging despite several trials reporting improvements in motor symptoms using subthalamic nucleus or globus pallidus internus (GPi) deep brain stimulation (DBS). Pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) region DBS has been used for medication-refractory FoG, with mixed findings. FoG, as a paroxysmal phenomenon, provides an ideal framework for the possibility of closed-loop DBS (CL-DBS).Methods: In this clinical trial (NCT02318927), five subjects with medication-refractory FoG underwent bilateral GPi DBS implantation to address levodopa-responsive PD symptoms with open-loop stimulation. Additionally, PPN DBS leads were implanted for CL-DBS to treat FoG. The primary outcome of the study was a 40% improvement in medication-refractory FoG in 60% of subjects at 6 months when “on” PPN CL-DBS. Secondary outcomes included device feasibility to gauge the recruitment potential of this four-lead DBS approach for a potentially larger clinical trial. Safety was judged based on adverse events and explantation rate.Findings: The feasibility of this approach was demonstrated as we recruited five subjects with both “on” and “off” medication freezing. The safety for this population of patients receiving four DBS leads was suboptimal and associated with a high explantation rate of 40%. The primary clinical outcome in three of the five subjects was achieved at 6 months. However, the group analysis of the primary clinical outcome did not reveal any benefit.Interpretation: This study of a human PPN CL-DBS trial in medication-refractory FoG showed feasibility in recruitment, suboptimal safety, and a heterogeneous clinical effect in FoG outcomes.

2021 ◽  
Vol 84 ◽  
pp. 47-51
Author(s):  
Fuyuko Sasaki ◽  
Genko Oyama ◽  
Satoko Sekimoto ◽  
Maierdanjiang Nuermaimaiti ◽  
Hirokazu Iwamuro ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Tramontana ◽  
Anna L. Molinari ◽  
Peter E. Konrad ◽  
Thomas L. Davis ◽  
Scott A. Wylie ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Belén González-Herrero ◽  
Serge Jauma-Classen ◽  
Roser Gómez-Llopico ◽  
Gerard Plans ◽  
Matilde Calopa

Background. Treatment of freezing of gait (FOG) is always challenging because of its unpredictable nature and multifactorial physiopathology. Intestinal levodopa infusion has been proposed in recent years as a valuable option for its improvement. FOG in Parkinson’s disease (PD) can appear after deep brain stimulation in patients who never had gait symptoms. Objective. To study the effects of intestinal levodopa/carbidopa infusion in unresponsive-FOG that appears in PD patients treated with subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation. Methods. We retrospectively collected and analyzed demographic, clinical, and therapeutic data from five PD patients treated with subthalamic nucleus stimulation who developed unresponsive-FOG and received intestinal levodopa/carbidopa infusion as an alternative therapy. FOG was measured based on scores in item 14 of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale before and after intestinal levodopa infusion. Results. Administration of intestinal levodopa caused improvement of FOG in the “ON” state in four patients (80%) by 2 or more points in item 14 of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale. The improvement was maintained for at least 12 months. Conclusions. Intestinal levodopa infusion may be a valuable therapeutic option for unresponsive-FOG developed after subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation.


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