3.1. β-Oscillations
Intraoperative measurements of the LFPs were performed for 36 electrodes (both STNs for 16 patients, a single STN for 4 patients due to intraoperative time constraints). An example of the LFPs, recorded over all eight contacts of an electrode, is illustrated in
Figure 1 (here the right electrode of patient P4; note the high quality of LFPs obtained thanks to the shielding wires). The stronger β-oscillations measured on contact E9, bottom trace, are visible, even before performing statistics. This contact was found with stronger β-oscillations compared with those computed over all contacts of the electrode (130% stronger than the mean of β-oscillations measured on all eight contacts,
P < 1.10
-12).
Figure 2 illustrates an example of the Lead-DBS electrode location with the probabilistic locations of β-oscillations (burgundy volume; [
8]), the STN (DISTAL atlas, sensorimotor: orange, limbic: yellow; associative: blue; [
6]), and the STN-DBS target (red volume; [
7]) in patient P16 in a posterior view. Note that the probabilistic locations of β-oscillations presented a banana-like shape in the dorsolateral sensorimotor STN with a larger volume ventrally. Here the most ventral contacts of the electrode of both STNs, E1 and E9, were found with significantly stronger β-oscillations than those computed over all contacts of the electrode (two-tailed Student t-tests: +72%,
P < 1.10
-4, and +45%
, P < 1.10
-3, respectively). In addition, the most dorsal contact of the left electrode, contact E8, also had stronger β-oscillations than those computed over all contacts of the electrode, but with a lower significance than that of the most ventral contact (
P < 1.10
-2 vs
P < 1.10
-4). This contact was located in the Campus Forelii (fields of Forel). The sites of stimulation are indicated with red contacts; here two contacts are dorsal to the site of measured and probabilistic β-oscillations in the sensorimotor subregion of the STN, and one contact is ventral to the site of measured β-oscillations in the Campus Forelii.
Figure 3 shows the location of β-oscillations determined by Lead-DBS and the measured contacts with β-oscillations for the whole group of patients. For all patients (P), the yellow boxes indicate contacts (1 to 8 on left electrodes, L; 9 to 16 on right electrodes, R) found in or touching the probabilistic volume with β-oscillations by the Lead-DBS. The asterisks indicate contacts measured with significantly stronger β-oscillations than those computed over all contacts of the electrode (
** P < 0.01,
*** P < 0.001,
**** P < 0.0001). Supplementary Video 1 illustrates the same probabilistic locations and measured contacts with β-oscillations, together with their statistics, for anterior and posterior views (bottom left of figures).
In 23 of the 36 measured electrodes, in 17 of the 20 patients, at least one contact was found in or touching the ventral subpart of the probabilistic volume with β-oscillations (
Figure 3, at least one yellow-filled cell per column;
Figure 4 (a)). In 20 of these 23 electrodes, at least one of the contacts found in or touching the ventral subpart of the probabilistic volume with β-oscillations was also measured with significantly stronger β-oscillations than those computed over all contacts of the electrode (
Figure 3, yellow-filled cells and black stars). In one of these 23 electrodes, the stronger β-oscillations were measured on a contact touching the dorsal subpart of the probabilistic volume with β-oscillations (patient P1, left electrode). In 2 of these 23 cases, the stronger β-oscillations were measured on a contact either dorsal or just ventral to the probabilistic volume (patients P6 and P8, left electrodes).
For 10 of the 36 measured electrodes, in 10 of the 20 patients, no contact was located in or touching the ventral subpart of the probabilistic volume with β-oscillations; however, at least one contact was measured with significantly stronger β-oscillations than those computed over all contacts of the electrode (
Figure 3, no yellow-filled cells per column, but black star(s);
Figure 4 (b)).
For 3 of the 36 measured electrodes, in 3 of the 20 patients, no contact was found in or touching the ventral subpart of the probabilistic volume with β-oscillations and no contact was measured with significantly stronger β-oscillations than those computed over all contacts of the electrode (
Figure 3, no yellow-filled cells and no black asterisks per column;
Figure 4 (c)). For one electrode (patient P6, right electrode), although the most ventral contact was still in contact with the dorsal part of the probabilistic volume with β-oscillations, no significantly stronger β-oscillations were found.
In addition, dorsal to the STN, β-oscillations were found on contacts located in or touching the Campus Forelii (fields of Forel), the ZI, or the internal capsule (IC) close to the Campus Forelii or ZI for 11 electrodes (
Figure 3, upper line, all but three of the cells with grey asterisks; Supplementary
Figure 2 (a)). In three medial electrodes, β-oscillations were found on contacts located in the thalamic ventral-oralis posterior (VLa) or ventral oralis anterior nucleus (
Figure 3, upper line, 3 of 14 cells with grey asterisks, Supplementary
Figure 2 (c); patients P3 left, P15 right, P6 left electrodes). For all three of these electrodes, the significance of the measured β-oscillations was low (
P < 0.01). For deeply inserted electrodes, β-oscillations were found on contacts located in the substantia nigra (
Figure 3, lower line, grey asterisks, Supplementary
Figure 2 (b); patients P8 left, P13 left, P1 left electrodes). For two of these three deep electrodes, the significance of the measured β-oscillations was low (
P < 0.01).
3.2. Electrode Location and Motor Outcome
The motor scores were not available for two patients (P1 and P9).
Figure 5 indicates the anatomical structures of the stimulated contacts as obtained with the Lead-DBS DISTAL atlas [
6] in 18 patients for 33 electrodes. The patients were ordered with decreasing lateralized MDS-UPDRS part III improvements of the contralateral hemibody, as stimulated 1 year post-surgery. Patients were then distributed in a post hoc analysis over three categories, from
Figure 5: if at least one stimulated contact was found external, dorsal and/or lateral to the STN (dorsal/lateral: ZI, campus de Forelii, IC), its associated improvement in the MDS-UPDRS score was attributed to the dorsal/lateral group (three right and five left electrodes in five patients). If stimulated electrode contacts were located in the STN, without any contact in the nucleus reticulatus polaris (NRP), the thalamus, or dorsal and/or lateral to the STN, the associated improvements in the MDS-UPDRS score were attributed to the STN category (eight right and seven left electrodes in 11 patients). If at least one stimulated contact was found in the NRP or in a thalamic nucleus, its associated improvement in the MDS-UPDRS score was attributed to the medial group (six right and four left electrodes in seven patients).
Figure 6 (a) illustrates the location of all electrodes for which at least one stimulated contact was found dorsal and/or lateral to the STN, i.e. the dorso/lateral group;
Figure 6 (b) illustrates the location of all electrodes of the STN category, or central group; and
Figure 6 (c) illustrates the location of all electrodes of the medial category.
Figure 7 shows the improvements in MDS-UPDRS motor scores 1-year post-surgery for the three groups of patients. Statistically significant differences were found among the groups (Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA on ranks,
H (2) = 15.2,
P < 0.001). The largest improvements were seen in patients for whom at least one stimulated contact was found dorsal and/or lateral to the STN (
Figure 7, purple circles, eight scores, median 64.1%, percentiles: 25
th, 60.9%; 75
th, 77.4%). Their scores were significantly higher than those in patients for whom contacts were found within the STN and with no stimulated contacts dorsal and/or lateral to the STN, or in the NRP, or in the thalamus (Multiple comparison procedure, Dunn’s method,
P < 0.05; orange circles, 15 scores: median 39.0%, percentiles: 25
th, 33.0%; 75
th, 46.0%) and higher than those in patients for whom at least a stimulated contact was found more medially, in the NRP or in a thalamic nucleus (Multiple comparison procedure, Dunn’s method,
P < 0.05; light green scores, 10 scores: median 21.5%, percentiles: 25
th, -19.8%; 75
th, 40.8%).
Among the group of patients with at least one stimulated contact located dorsal and/or lateral to the STN, patient P6 experienced a slightly husky voice, patients P11 and P4 a slight dysarthria, and patient P12 a temporary deviation of the lip towards the right (patients with asterisk,
Figure 5). No capsular side effect was observed for the other DBS patients in their daily life.
As described in
Figure 2 in the background and in Supplementary Video 3 (anterior view), the STN-DBS target, red volume [
7] is located just adjacent and dorsally to the ventral part of the probabilistic volume with β-oscillations. Hence, the present patient series does not confirm the STN-DBS target location as indicated by Lead-DBS. Instead, the study suggests the dorsal and/or lateral external border of the STN, but with the risk of capsular side effects.
Regarding the intraoperative electrophysiological targeting of the STN, at the time of intraoperative stimulation, 9 of 40 electrodes (including electrodes for which β-oscillations were not recorded) were placed on trajectories added to those used for microelectrode recordings, whether or not recordings of the central and/or posterolateral microelectrodes showed typical STN cells. No microelectrode recordings were performed for these additional trajectories in order to avoid having to move the set of exploratory electrodes up and down again. In one of nine cases, a lateral electrode was inserted in addition to the exploratory central and posterolateral electrodes, contributing to the placement of the final DBS electrode lateral to the sensorimotor STN (patient P6, left electrode). In eight of nine cases, a medial or a posteromedial electrode was added in addition to the central and posterolateral trajectories. In six of these eight cases, the added electrode contributed to a deterioration in the targeting of the sensorimotor STN, the electrode being placed medially in the STN or medially to it (patient P7, right electrode; patient P4, left electrode; patients P13 and P19, both electrodes; Supplementary Video 2). On the other hand, the added trajectory contributed to an improvement in the targeting of the sensorimotor STN for two of eight electrodes (patient P5, left electrode; patient P10, left electrode; Supplementary Video 2). Thus, overall, six of nine added electrodes contributed to a deterioration in the targeting of the sensorimotor STN. In 3 of the other 31 STNs (patient P1, right electrode; patient P2, right electrode; patient P15, right electrode; Supplementary Video 2), the definitive electrode was located too medially, with no contact in the STN, where no trajectory was added at the time of stimulation.