New insights offered by a computational model of deep brain stimulation

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a standard neurosurgical procedure used to treat motor symptoms in about 5% of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Despite the indisputable success of this procedure, the biological mechanisms underlying the clinical benefits of DBS have not yet been fully elucidated. The paper starts with a brief review on the use of DBS to treat PD symptoms. The second section introduces a computational model based on the population density approach and the Izhikevich neuron model. We explain why this model is appropriate for investigating macroscopic network effects and exploring the physiological mechanisms which respond to this treatment strategy (i.e., DBS). Finally, we present new insights into the ways this computational model may help to elucidate the dynamic network effects produced in a cerebral structure when DBS is applied.