Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease and Other Movement Disorders: The Long Road toward Personalized Medicine

Dear Colleagues,

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a valid therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), dystonia, and invalidating tremor, and is also an emerging treatment for other movement disorders. However, several challenges still remain in order to maximize the benefit from DBS, including but not limited to the optimal selection of candidates, the most appropriate anatomical target, the knowledge of network modulation, the use of novel devices, and the potentiality of advanced or novel parameter settings, as well as the role of phenotype, genetics, and other clinical aspects, including motor and nonmotor symptoms, in determining DBS outcome.

This Special Issue aims to collect different types of articles exploring the efficacy and safety of DBS in uncommon movement disorders, offering deeper knowledge on the underlying mechanisms of DBS, including the modulation of neural networks and neuroplasticity, and addressing the challenges associated with achieving personalized medicine in DBS for movement disorders by investigating various factors that contribute to inter-individual variability in treatment outcomes, such as patient-specific anatomy, electrode placement, stimulation parameters, and disease progression. This Special Issue also welcomes studies on the role of advanced technologies, such as neuroimaging and electrophysiology, in optimizing DBS therapy, as well as high-quality reviews of the existing literature on DBS for PD and other movement disorders aimed at clarifying the efficacy and safety of DBS, its impact on motor and nonmotor symptoms, and its potential for improving the quality of life of patients. The ultimate goal of this Special Issue is to advance our understanding of DBS as a personalized treatment approach for Parkinson's disease, dystonia, tremor, and other movement disorders. By identifying key factors that influence treatment outcomes, we aspire to pave the way for tailored therapies that can maximize the benefits of DBS while minimizing its adverse effects.

Dr. Carlo Alberto Artusi
Dr. Margherita Fabbri
Dr. Andrea Guerra
Guest Editors

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• Deep Brain Stimulation
• movement disorders
• personalized medicine
• Parkinson’s disease
• dystonia
• tremor