Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026

Microelectrode Guided Implantation of Electrodes into the Subthalamic Nucleus of Rats for Long-term Deep Brain Stimulation
Published on: October 2, 2015
Globus pallidus deep brain stimulation for refractory idiopathic restless legs syndrome
William G Ondo1, Joseph Jankovic, Richard Simpson
1Department of Neurology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA. William.Ondo@uth.tmc.edu
Objective:
The neuroanatomic substrate of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is unknown. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) and other targets is used to treat Parkinson's disease (PD), and RLS symptoms associated with PD have been reported to improve when GPi DBS is used in that population. We wish to test whether GPi DBS can improve idiopathic RLS.
Method:
We implanted bilateral GPi DBS in a subject with refractory idiopathic RLS.
Results:
The GPi cells recordings were dissimilar to those of PD. Clinically, the patient had a good, but far from complete, response, which more prominently affected the urge to move and involuntary movements than the painful component.
Conclusion:
DBS for RLS remains investigational.
Related Concept Videos
Restless Leg Syndrome and Night Terrors
The exact cause of RLS is not fully understood, but it is believed to involve dopamine, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate muscle movement. Imbalances in dopamine levels...
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
RBD is significantly associated with...
Alterations in Muscle Tone lll
Parkinson's Disease: Treatment
Parkinson's Disease is primarily a result of the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The cornerstone of its...

