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The effect of subthalamic nucleus stimulation on kinaesthesia in Parkinson's disease
M Maschke1, P J Tuite, K Pickett
1Sensorimotor Control Laboratory, Division of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. matthias.maschke@uni-essen.de
Background:
Parkinson's disease is accompanied by deficits in passive motion and limb position sense.
Objective:
To investigate whether deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) reverses these proprioceptive deficits.
Methods And Results:
A passive movement task was applied to nine patients with Parkinson's disease and bilateral chronic STN-DBS and to seven controls. Thresholds for 75% correct responses were 0.9 degrees for controls, 2.5 degrees for Parkinson's disease patients when stimulation was OFF, and 2.0 degrees when stimulation was ON.
Conclusions:
STN-DBS improves kinaesthesic deficits in Parkinson's disease, but does not lead to a full recovery of proprioceptive function.
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