Date of Award

2007

Degree Type

Thesis

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Slane, Steve

Subject Headings

Parkinson's disease -- Treatment, Brain stimulation, Deep brain stimulation, Parkinson's disease, Electronic books, local

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an idiopathic progressive neurological disorder. Improvement in Parkinsonian motor function has been established with subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS). Recently, the relationship between DBS stimulator settings and motor function has begun to be explored however, no study to date has investigated the relationship between DBS settings and neuropsychological functioning. This study evaluated the extent to which DBS settings (i.e., amplitude, frequency, and pulse width) are associated with post-operative performances on the RBANS (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status). The study was a prospective clinical trial of STN DBS for the treatment of medication refractory PD. Twenty patients were identified that met study inclusion and exclusion criteria. All participants completed neuropsychological evaluations, including the RBANS. Correlations revealed significant relationships between amplitude and pulse width with RBANS indices of visuospatial/constructional ability (r =.55) and immediate memory (r = .45). Also, significant relationships were found between amplitude and line orientation (r =.45) and pulse width and delayed figure recall (r =.46). Multiple regression found DBS stimulator settings, along with symptoms of anxiety, to be significant predictors of RBANS scores. While DBS appears to be relatively benign from a neuropsychological standpoint, some patients experience more pronounced impairments. One variable that may account for previous variability is DBS stimulation parameters

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

COinS