Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an efficacious treatment in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, yet the mechanisms of STN DBS are poorly understood. The aims of this study were to develop a useful method for studying neurotransmitter alterations during DBS and for the pharmacokinetics of L-dopa in brain tissue. Ten patients with Parkinson's disease participated, whereof two had no previous L-dopa medication. The electrodes and catheters were placed using MRI-guided stereotaxic targeting. Two microdialysis probes were placed, one in the right internal globus pallidus, and one in a brachial vein. The quadripolar deep brain electrodes were placed in the right STN. Microdialysates from brain tissue and blood were collected in 15-min fractions at baseline and during DBS. After stimulation new baseline fractions were taken and finally three fractions during continuous intravenous infusion of L-dopa. Clinical evaluation showed that both DBS and L-dopa infusion gave good relief of rigidity and tremor in all ten patients. During DBS the L-dopa levels in the brain increased in some of the patients but did not persist during the whole stimulation period. The concentration in brain increased substantially during intravenous L-dopa infusion. A number of catecholamines and their metabolites were analysed with high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). With our study we could show that this model is suitable for the monitoring of neurotransmitters and for pharmacokinetic studies in human brain, although we found that the sampling time was too short to follow the possible alterations in brain activity caused by DBS.
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