Optical guidance during neurosurgery for deep brain stimulation electrode implantation in the treatment of Parkinson's disease

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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is a therapeutic avenue for late-stage Parkinson's disease patients who do not respond anymore to standard medication (L-Dopa). The surgery consists in the insertion of an electrode in the subthalamic nucleus (STN), a millimeter-sized region of the brain known to be the major driving force of the basal ganglia. The electrodes act to saturate the electrical activity of the STNs and alleviate the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. This surgery does not cure the diseases, but instead manages its symptoms for approximately a decade, an extremely significant improvement on the quality of life of patients. The clinical outcome depends critically on the good positioning of the stimulating electrode in the dorsal region of the STN. Its accurate surgical placement is performed by measuring the local electrical neuronal activity with a smaller, less invasive measuring electrode prior to insertion of the final, larger stimulating electrode. Most importantly,