title: Moving toward a generalizable application of central thalamic deep brain stimulation for support of forebrain arousal regulation in the severely injured brain.
abstract: This review considers the challenges ahead for developing a generalizable strategy for the use of central thalamic deep brain stimulation (CT/DBS) to support arousal regulation mechanisms in the severely injured brain. Historical efforts to apply CT/DBS to patients with severe brain injuries and a proof-of-concept result from a single-subject study are discussed. Circuit and cellular mechanisms underlying the recovery of consciousness are considered for their relevance to the application of CT/DBS, to improve consciousness and cognition in nonprogressive brain injuries. Finally, directions for development, and testing of generalizable criteria for CT/DBS are suggested, which aim to identify neuronal substrates and behavioral profiles that may optimally benefit from support of arousal regulation mechanisms.
authors: Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, USA. nds2001@med.cornell.edu
authors: Nicholas D
authors: ND
authors: Schiff
mesh_terms: D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology; D046690:Deep Brain Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D013788:Thalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D016896:Treatment Outcome