Model of Selective Field Deformation in Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)

L. Roohisefat [1], S. Mottaghi [2], M. Li [3], U. G. Hofmann [4], V. A. Coenen [5],
[1] Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Medical Faculty, Freiburg University. Department of Neurosurgery, Section for Neuroelectronic Systems, Medical Center, Freiburg University, Freiburg, Germany
[2] Department of Neurosurgery, Section for Neuroelectronic Systems, Medical Center, Freiburg University, Freiburg, Germany
[3] Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Medical Faculty, Freiburg University, Freiburg, Germany
[4] Department of Neurosurgery, Section for Neuroelectronic Systems, Medical Center, Freiburg University. Cluster of Excellence „BrainLinks-BrainTools“,DFG EXC 1086, Freiburg, Germany
[5] Department of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery, Medical Faculty, Freiburg University. Cluster of Excellence „BrainLinks-BrainTools“,DFG EXC 1086, Freiburg, Germany
Published in 2016

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is known to alleviate symptoms of some movement disorders and is currently tested for its clinical value in several psychiatric disorders. Although the exact mechanism of DBS is not well understood yet, an activation of white matter structures is the most likely one. The spatial distribution of the electric field originating from implanted DBS electrodes is important. It is sensitive to both the electrode position and also the fiber structure close by. Previous studies have investigated the relation between the electric field and fiber activations. In this study possible electrical field deformations caused by fiber bundles are assessed. Furthermore the effect of fiber bundle properties and their density around the electrode is brought into the model and examined.