Probing responses to deep brain stimulation with functional magnetic resonance imaging

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Neuromodulation

Background:

• Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a recognized treatment for movement disorders, with emerging applications in psychiatric, cognitive, and seizure conditions.
• The precise mechanisms underlying DBS therapeutic effects remain incompletely understood.
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides a non-invasive in vivo method to observe DBS effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive review of studies utilizing fMRI during active DBS.
• To analyze studied disorders, stimulated brain regions, experimental designs, and insights from stimulation-evoked fMRI responses.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of published human studies involving fMRI during active DBS.
• Literature search conducted using PubMed and MEDLINE databases.

Main Results:

• The number of fMRI-DBS studies is growing, with 37 studies identified.
• Parkinson's disease was the most studied cohort (24 studies), with the subthalamic nucleus being the most commonly stimulated region (24 studies).
• DBS modulates large-scale brain networks, with fMRI responses linked to stimulation parameters, patient factors, and outcomes; potential fMRI biomarkers for DBS were proposed.

Conclusions:

• The combination of DBS and fMRI is a powerful tool for manipulating and observing neural circuitry.
• Future research should explore understudied conditions and regions, and prospectively validate fMRI-based biomarkers for refining DBS therapy.