External globus pallidus stimulation modulates brain connectivity in Huntington's disease

Positron emission tomography with O-15-labeled water was used to study at rest the neurophysiological effects of bilateral external globus pallidus (GPe) deep brain stimulation in patients with Huntington's disease (HD). Five patients were compared with a control group in the on and off states of the stimulator. External globus pallidus stimulation decreased neuronal activity and modulated cerebral connectivity within the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuitry, the sensorimotor, and the default-mode networks. These data indicate that GPe stimulation modulates functional integration in HD patients in accordance with the basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit model. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism (2011) 31, 41-46; doi:10.1038/jcbfm.2010.186; published online 20 October 2010