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Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Deep Brain Stimulation with Simultaneous fMRI in Rodents
Published on: February 15, 2014
Circuit response to neuromodulation characterized with simultaneous deep brain stimulation and precision neuroimaging
Jianxun Ren1,2, Changqing Jiang1, Wei Zhang2,3
1National Engineering Research Center of Neuromodulation, School of Aerospace Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) but its neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. A mechanistic understanding requires precise characterization of functional responses to various stimulation conditions within the same individual. Here we use 3-T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-compatible DBS and precision imaging to collect extensive data from 14 patients with PD who received DBS. Across five timepoints spanning 1 year, each patient underwent 11.7 hours of functional MRI (fMRI) under seven stimulation conditions (30-172 min per session), 2.2 hours of structural MRI (26 min per session), 1.3 hours of diffusion-weighted MRI (16 min per session) and neurological assessments. Imaging data were also collected from 27 healthy participants. DBS normalizes connectivity in the somatocognitive action network and evokes differential responses in two distinct neurocircuits: the primary motor and globus pallidus circuits. Target cortical functional connectivity predicts clinical outcomes. This densely sampled dataset provides reliable, individually specific functional measures and is shared with the community to accelerate research into DBS mechanisms and improve personalized treatment strategies.
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