Acute severe depression induced by stimulation of the right globus pallidus internus

ABSTRACT

Depressive symptoms may occur after Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in the subthalamic nucleus. This is often explained by reduced pharmacological treatment after surgery, and not as a direct effect of DBS. Pallidal DBS seems not to be associated with such side effects and have not, to our knowledge, previously been reported. We present a patient with acute depressive symptoms induced by pallidal DBS. We believe this case strengthen the hypothesis that the basal ganglia and structures involved in the functional connectome of these nucleuses play a role not only in regulation of movement but also in regulation of mood.

KEYWORDS:

• Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
• Parkinson’s disease
• pallidum
• basal ganglia
• depression

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.