Deep Brain Stimulation and Motor Cortex Stimulation for Chronic Pain

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (8) ◽  
pp. 235
Author(s):  
Patrick Senatus ◽  
Sarah Zurek ◽  
Milind Deogaonkar
2010 ◽  
Vol 2;13 (1;2) ◽  
pp. 157-165
Author(s):  
Timothy R. Deer

Intracranial neurostimulation for pain relief is most frequently delivered by stimulating the motor cortex, the sensory thalamus, or the periaqueductal and periventricular gray matter. The stimulation of these sites through MCS (motor cortex stimulation) and DBS (deep brain stimulation) has proven effective for treating a number of neuropathic and nociceptive pain states that are not responsive or amenable to other therapies or types of neurostimulation. Prospective randomized clinical trials to confirm the efficacy of these intracranial therapies have not been published. Intracranial neurostimulation is somewhat different than other forms of neurostimulation in that its current primary application is for the treatment of medically intractable movement disorders. However, the increasing use of intracranial neurostimulation for the treatment of chronic pain, especially for pain not responsive to other neuromodulation techniques, reflects the efficacy and relative safety of these intracranial procedures. First employed in 1954, intracranial neurostimulation represents one of the earliest uses of neurostimulation to treat chronic pain that is refractory to medical therapy. Currently, 2 kinds of intracranial neurostimulation are commonly used to control pain: motor cortex stimulation and deep brain stimulation. MCS has shown particular promise in the treatment of trigeminal neuropathic pain and central pain syndromes such as thalamic pain syndrome. DBS may be employed for a number of nociceptive and neuropathic pain states, including cluster headaches, chronic low back pain, failed back surgery syndrome, peripheral neuropathic pain, facial deafferentation pain, and pain that is secondary to brachial plexus avulsion. The unique lack of stimulation-induced perceptual experience with MCS makes MCS uniquely suited for blinded studies of its effectiveness. This article will review the scientific rationale, indications, surgical techniques, and outcomes of intracranial neuromodulation procedures for the treatment of chronic pain. Key words: Motor cortex stimulation, deep brain stimulation, pain, neurostimulation


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Farrell ◽  
Alexander Green ◽  
Tipu Aziz

Chronic intractable pain is debilitating for those touched, affecting 5% of the population. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has fallen out of favour as the centrally implantable neurostimulation of choice for chronic pain since the 1970–1980s, with some neurosurgeons favouring motor cortex stimulation as the ‘last chance saloon’. This article reviews the available data and professional opinion of the current state of DBS as a treatment for chronic pain, placing it in the context of other neuromodulation therapies. We suggest DBS, with its newer target, namely anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), should not be blacklisted on the basis of a lack of good quality study data, which often fails to capture the merits of the treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 146 ◽  
pp. 246-260
Author(s):  
Giovanna Zambo Galafassi ◽  
Pedro Henrique Simm Pires de Aguiar ◽  
Renata Faria Simm ◽  
Paulo Roberto Franceschini ◽  
Marco Prist Filho ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 639
Author(s):  
David Bergeron ◽  
Sami Obaid ◽  
Marie-Pierre Fournier-Gosselin ◽  
Alain Bouthillier ◽  
Dang Khoa Nguyen

Introduction: To date, clinical trials of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for refractory chronic pain have yielded unsatisfying results. Recent evidence suggests that the posterior insula may represent a promising DBS target for this indication. Methods: We present a narrative review highlighting the theoretical basis of posterior insula DBS in patients with chronic pain. Results: Neuroanatomical studies identified the posterior insula as an important cortical relay center for pain and interoception. Intracranial neuronal recordings showed that the earliest response to painful laser stimulation occurs in the posterior insula. The posterior insula is one of the only regions in the brain whose low-frequency electrical stimulation can elicit painful sensations. Most chronic pain syndromes, such as fibromyalgia, had abnormal functional connectivity of the posterior insula on functional imaging. Finally, preliminary results indicated that high-frequency electrical stimulation of the posterior insula can acutely increase pain thresholds. Conclusion: In light of the converging evidence from neuroanatomical, brain lesion, neuroimaging, and intracranial recording and stimulation as well as non-invasive stimulation studies, it appears that the insula is a critical hub for central integration and processing of painful stimuli, whose high-frequency electrical stimulation has the potential to relieve patients from the sensory and affective burden of chronic pain.


2020 ◽  
pp. 85-88
Author(s):  
Anjali Gera ◽  
Gian Pal

More than 50% of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) can have chronic pain. PD pain has been associated with reduced quality of life scores on validated measures. The most common source of PD pain is musculoskeletal in origin. This pain may manifest as rigidity, cramps, shoulder discomfort, spinal or hand and foot deformities, dystonic pain, or nonradicular back pain. Our case illustrates improvement in chronic pain following bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery in a 45-year-old patient with PD. Approximately 1 year after PD onset, he developed constant pain and tremor in his left upper extremity, which gradually worsened over time. Initially, carbidopa/levodopa completely alleviated both his arm tremor and pain. Over the next several years, he developed off periods that were associated with bothersome tremor and pain, and on periods that were associated with prominent neck and left arm dyskinesia, both of which were associated with significant pain. At age 60 years, after 15 years of PD, he underwent bilateral STN DBS implantation. Following DBS, he had significant improvement in his left arm tremor, rigidity, motor fluctuations, and pain. He also had a 70% reduction in his dopaminergic medication and complete resolution of dyskinesia and neck pain.


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