Deep brain stimulation of the pedunculopontine tegmentum and subthalamic nucleus: Effects on gait in Parkinson's disease

Abstract Objective This study examines the effects of subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) and pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPTg) DBS in advanced Parkinson's disease using gait analysis. Methods Five people underwent bilateral DBS in both the STN and PPTg. Gait analysis was performed one year after neurosurgery using an optoelectronic system. The effects of DBS (STN, PPTg and STN + PPTg) were studied in two clinical conditions: without (Off) and during (On) antiparkinsonian therapy. Results PPTg and STN DBS were associated with changes in spatio-temporal and kinematics variables. Conclusions Although experimental data cannot be generalized widely due to the small sample, PPTg DBS appears to affect the neuronal circuits subserving gait.