Deep brain stimulation and its implication on the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease

• Grant number: 17/07398-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): July 01, 2017
• Effective date (End): June 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Physiology of Organs and Systems
• Principal researcher: Rosana de Lima Pagano
• Grantee: Gabriela da Rocha Barbosa
• Home Institution: Hospital Sírio-Libanês. Sociedade Beneficente de Senhoras (SBSHSL). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons. The PD generates motor and non-motor symptoms, such as depression and pain, which are neglected and poorly understood and contribute to worsen the patients' quality of life. The gold standard for the treatment of PD after the side effects of pharmacological treatments is the deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN). However, its effects on the non-motor symptoms in PD are still conflicting. In this project we intend to demonstrate the relationship between the therapeutic effect of DBS and the activation of important nuclei in the modulation of pain and the depressive component, as well as the spinal anti-inflammatory component. To do so, we will evaluate the effect of STN-DBS in rats with 6-OHDA-induced nigrostriatal injury against nociceptive (mechanical hyperalgesia) and depressive (forced swim test) responses. Also, we will evaluate the pattern of neuronal activation, using the Egr-1 marker, in areas associated with affective-motivational component of pain and with depressive behavior (hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex and amygdala), as well as with the descending analgesic pathway (locus ceruleus, nucleus raphe magnus and dorsal horn of the spinal cord). With this work, we will be able to improve the knowledge about the mechanisms of action of DBS, emphasizing the importance of this treatment for the non-motor symptoms of PD, enabling the guidance and improvement of more effective therapeutic interventions for patients with PD. (AU)