Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026
Microelectrode Guided Implantation of Electrodes into the Subthalamic Nucleus of Rats for Long-term Deep Brain Stimulation
Published on: October 2, 2015
A numerical study to compare stimulations by intraoperative microelectrodes and chronic macroelectrodes in the DBS
A Paffi1, F Apollonio, M G Puxeddu
1Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunication, Sapienza University of Rome, 00184 Rome, Italy ; Italian Inter-University Center for the Study of Electromagnetic Fields and Biological Systems (ICEmB), 16145 Genova, Italy.
Abstract:
Deep brain stimulation is a clinical technique for the treatment of parkinson's disease based on the electric stimulation, through an implanted electrode, of specific basal ganglia in the brain. To identify the correct target of stimulation and to choose the optimal parameters for the stimulating signal, intraoperative microelectrodes are generally used. However, when they are replaced with the chronic macroelectrode, the effect of the stimulation is often very different. Here, we used numerical simulations to predict the stimulation of neuronal fibers induced by microelectrodes and macroelectrodes placed in different positions with respect to each other. Results indicate that comparable stimulations can be obtained if the chronic macroelectrode is correctly positioned with the same electric center of the intraoperative microelectrode. Otherwise, some groups of fibers may experience a completely different electric stimulation.
