Personality Changes After Subthalamic Nucleus Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Neurology

Background:

• Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is effective for Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms.
• The impact of STN-DBS on personality functioning in PD patients remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate personality changes in PD patients post-STN-DBS from patient and caregiver viewpoints.
• To identify individual vulnerabilities to STN-DBS-induced personality alterations by assessing premorbid personalities.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective observational study involving 27 PD patients and their caregivers.
• Assessed personality changes using the Iowa Scale of Personality Changes (ISPC).
• Evaluated premorbid personalities using the Big Five Inventory (BFI).

Main Results:

• Caregivers reported significant changes in Executive Disturbance and Disturbed Social Behavior post-STN-DBS.
• ISPC domains correlated positively with Conscientiousness and negatively with Neuroticism (BFI).

Conclusions:

• Executive and social functioning are most vulnerable to personality changes after STN-DBS in PD.
• Patients with higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness are at increased risk.
• Findings can inform counseling and candidate selection for STN-DBS; caregiver input is valuable.