Subthalamic local field potentials after seven-year deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease

Studies describing subthalamic (STN) local field potentials (LFPs) recorded during deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), within the first month after DBS electrode implant, show that DBS modulates specific STN oscillations: whereas low-frequency (LF) oscillations (2–7Hz) increase, beta oscillations (8–30Hz) variably decrease. No data show whether LFPs remain stable for longer than one month after DBS surgery. Having long-term information is essential especially for use as a long-term feedback control signal for adaptive DBS systems. To evaluate how STN activity behaves years after prolonged chronic stimulation in PD we studied STN LFPs at rest without DBS and during ongoing DBS, in 11 parkinsonian patients 7years (7.54±1.04) after STN electrode implantation for DBS (hyperchronic group) and in 16 patients 3days after STN electrode implantation (acute group). STN LF and beta-band LFPs recorded at rest at 7years contained almost the same information as those recorded at 3days. STN recordings showed similar LFP responses to DBS in the acute and hyperchronic stages: whereas during ongoing DBS the LF power band increased for the whole population, beta activity decreased only in nuclei with significant beta activity at baseline. The LF/beta power ratio in all nuclei changed in both study groups, suggesting that this variable might be an even more informative marker of PD than the single LF and beta bands. Because STN LFP activity patterns and STN LFP responses to DBS stay almost unchanged for years after DBS electrode implantation they should provide a consistent feedback control signal for adaptive DBS. ►We studied whether STN activity in PD patients remain stable after DBS for years. ►STN activity patterns remain almost unchanged after DBS for 7years. ►DBS-induced power changes persist years after implant and chronic stimulation. ►Adaptive DBS strategies based on STN activity can remain unchanged for years.