Intraoperative Quantitative Measurements for Bradykinesia Evaluation during Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery Using Leap...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Movement Disorders

Background:

• Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is highly effective for Parkinson's disease (PD).
• Intraoperative assessment of bradykinesia during DBS surgery is crucial for optimizing stimulation parameters.
• Current methods for assessing bradykinesia may lack precision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the Leap Motion Controller (LMC) for quantifying bradykinesia in PD patients during DBS surgery.
• To enhance the accuracy of intraoperative bradykinesia assessment.
• To explore LMC's potential for objective motor function evaluation.

Main Methods:

• Seven idiopathic PD patients undergoing bilateral subthalamic nucleus DBS therapy were recruited.
• Participants performed finger tapping, hand opening/closing, and pronation/supination tasks pre- and intraoperatively.
• The Leap Motion Controller (LMC) and clinicians simultaneously monitored motor tasks.

Main Results:

• Key kinematic parameters showed differences between preoperative and intraoperative conditions.
• Average velocity and amplitude of pronation/supination tasks effectively isolated bradykinetic features.
• The LMC demonstrated promising results in evaluating hand and finger bradykinesia.

Conclusions:

• The Leap Motion Controller (LMC) offers a precise method for quantifying bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients during DBS surgery.
• LMC-derived kinematic parameters can serve as objective measures of the intraoperative motor state.
• This technology has the potential to refine DBS therapy for PD.