• Ladan Akbarian-Tefaghi, Harith Akram, Johannes Johansson, Ludvic Zrinzo, Zinovia Kefalopoulou, Patricia Limousin, Eileen Joyce, Marwan Hariz, Karin Wårdell, and Tom Foltynie.
• Unit of Functional Neurosurgery, Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK.
• Stereotact Funct Neurosurg. 2017 Jan 1; 95 (4): 251-258.

BackgroundDeep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with severe, refractory Tourette syndrome (TS) has demonstrated promising but variable results thus far. The thalamus and anteromedial globus pallidus internus (amGPi) have been the most commonly stimulated sites within the cortico-striato thalamic circuit, but an optimal target is yet to be elucidated.ObjectivesThis study of 15 patients with long-term amGPi DBS for severe TS investigated whether a specific anatomical site within the amGPi correlated with optimal clinical outcome for the measures of tics, obsessive compulsive behaviour (OCB), and mood.MethodsValidated clinical assessments were used to measure tics, OCB, quality of life, anxiety, and depression before DBS and at the latest follow-up (17-82 months). Electric field simulations were created for each patient using information on electrode location and individual stimulation parameters. A subsequent regression analysis correlated these patient-specific simulations to percentage changes in outcome measures in order to identify any significant voxels related to clinical improvement.ResultsA region within the ventral limbic GPi, specifically on the medial medullary lamina in the pallidum at the level of the AC-PC, was significantly associated with improved tics but not mood or OCB outcome.ConclusionsThis study adds further support to the application of DBS in a tic-related network, though factors such as patient sample size and clinical heterogeneity remain as limitations and replication is required.© 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

22 keywords...

hide…