NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION OF PARKINSON DISEASE: THEORETICAL REVIEW

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder attributable to midbrain dopaminergiccell loss within the substantia nigra. This causes a dysfunction of thebasal ganglia manifested by motor symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, bradykinesiaamong others. With Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), neurosurgery has emergedas a therapeutic option, being the subthalamic nucleus its main target area. Studiesshow significant improvement in motor deficits, but there is no knowledge on theneuropsychological changes in patients after DBS. A review of several studies thathave researched the cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes concluded thatmost cognitive skills are either maintained or improved after DBS, but there may beadverse emotional and behavioral changes that are related to the core brain wherethe electrode is implanted and with its premorbid personality characteristics.