Estimation of brain electrical propagation generated by the DBS in patients with Parkinson’s disease from South-west region of Colombia

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a group of neurological disorders caused by a deficiency of dopamine in a brain structure called Substance Nigra reticulata (SNr). Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of subthalamic nucleus has proved to be a successful treatment for this pathology. DBS modulates the neuronal activity with electrical fields. However, the distribution of the voltage generated in the brain by the stimulating electrodes is not well known. Knowledge of the electrical potential generated by DBS is necessary to find optimal stimulation parameters that deliver the best clinical results and minimal side effects. In this paper, we propose a methodology for estimating the electrical potential based on processing of magnetic resonance image with diffusion tensor (MRI-DT) for specific patient analysis and the finite element method for solution of model equation, in contrast to another similar works where it is employed generic and homogeneous models. Results are consistent with previously outcomes reported in the state of the art and they allow to establish that tensorial model for electrical conductivity is more accurate and detailed to perform DBS simulations, in comparison to generic models with homogenous conductivity.