Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
12:04
Intra-Operative Behavioral Tasks in Awake Humans Undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery
Published on: January 6, 2011
Subthalamic nucleus stimulation affects incentive salience attribution in Parkinson's disease
Tereza Serranová1, Robert Jech, Petr Dušek
1Department of Neurology and Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Charles University in Prague, 1st Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic. tereza.serranova@gmail.com
Summary
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD) alters how patients perceive emotional stimuli. STN DBS may increase sensitivity to negative stimuli and food cues, potentially leading to weight gain.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Neurology
Background:
- Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment.
- Nonmotor side effects like mood changes and weight gain are observed with STN DBS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if STN DBS affects the attribution of incentive salience to emotional stimuli in PD patients.
- To explore the relationship between STN DBS, emotional perception, and weight gain.
Main Methods:
- Compared emotional and arousal ratings of visual stimuli between PD patients with STN DBS ON/OFF and healthy controls.
- Utilized the International Affective Picture System for stimulus selection.
- Correlated postoperative weight gain with arousal ratings in the STN DBS ON condition.
Main Results:
- PD patients with STN DBS ON rated aversive pictures as less negative compared to STN DBS OFF and controls.
- A trend suggested STN DBS OFF ratings were less different from controls than STN DBS ON.
- Weight gain post-surgery correlated with arousal ratings for food pictures during STN DBS ON.
Conclusions:
- STN DBS appears to enhance the motivational salience of aversive stimuli.
- Increased sensitivity to food cues during STN DBS may contribute to weight gain in PD patients.
Related Concept Videos
01:37Neural Regulation
Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.
01:24Parkinson Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting movement, with additional non-motor features. Its pathophysiology involves complex interactions among genetic susceptibility, environmental exposures, and cellular dysfunction, including dopaminergic neuron loss, protein aggregation, and mitochondrial impairment.Selective NeurodegenerationA key feature is the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, leading to reduced...
01:24Parkinson's Disease: Treatment
Neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's Disease (PD), involve the gradual and irreversible destruction of neurons in particular brain areas. These disorders exhibit standard features like proteinopathies, selective vulnerability of some neurons, and an interaction of intrinsic properties, genetics, and environmental influences in neural injury.
Parkinson's Disease is primarily a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The cornerstone of its...
Parkinson's Disease is primarily a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The cornerstone of its...
01:15Parkinson's Disease: Overview
Neurodegenerative disorders are progressive diseases that cause irreversible damage and loss to neurons in specific brain areas. Examples of these disorders include Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). These disorders share characteristics such as proteinopathies, selective neuronal vulnerability, and a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. The primary therapeutic goal for these conditions is to...
01:24Parkinson Disease l: Introduction
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative disorder that primarily affects movement. It is characterized by motor symptoms such as resting tremors, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia (slowness of movement), and postural instability. Patients may notice hand tremors at rest, stiffness during movement, or a shuffling gait. In addition to motor features, non-motor symptoms include sleep disturbances, mood and behavioral changes, constipation, and cognitive impairment, all of which...
01:11Alterations in Muscle Tone lll
Rigidity and myotonia are distinct abnormalities of muscle tone that affect resistance and relaxation during movement. Although both involve altered muscle contraction, they arise from different neurological and muscular mechanisms.CharacteristicsRigidity is characterized by uniform resistance to passive movement across the entire range, independent of speed, affecting flexors and extensors equally. It may appear as lead-pipe rigidity (smooth, constant resistance) or cogwheel rigidity...