Systematic reprogramming made a significant 24% improvement in MDS-UPDRS scores, suggesting enhanced outcomes for Parkinson's patients.
Background Reprogramming of chronic deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease is often underutilized despite potential clinical benefit. Objective The aim was to assess the impact of systematic reprogramming in patients with long‐term subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS. Methods Ten patients with long‐term STN‐DBS underwent systematic reprogramming due to recurrence of motor symptoms or increased medication needs. Movement Disorder Society‐Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS‐UPDRS) Part III scores (medication off /DBS ON) and levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD) were compared across initial programming, pre‐reprogramming, and post‐reprogramming using repeated‐measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results Reprogramming yielded a significant 24% improvement in MDS‐UPDRS Part III scores ( P = 0.02) without significant LEDD change. Imaging revealed that reprogramming commonly engaged dorsolateral or supra‐STN regions by increasing amplitude or changing from bipolar to monopolar settings while maintaining contact pairs. Conclusions Systematic reprogramming can improve long‐term motor outcomes in STN‐DBS. Imaging may assist in understanding and guiding effective reprogramming strategies.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Sugiyama et al. (2025) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: