The purpose of the study is to investigate brain pathways in people with and without movement disorders and especially those with previously implanted deep brain stimulators (DBS) using magnetic brain stimulation. While the study is focused on those with DBS implants, in order to relate brain activity in these people to others, some patients without DBS will also undergo testing as will some age-matched people who do not have movement disorders at all. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can safely and painlessly modulate the activity of the brain in specific regions where it is applied. TMS will be used to study the connections between different centres in the brain and with the muscles that these brain regions project to in the body. The results of this study will improve the understanding of how DBS alters motor pathways and control of motion.
Who is eligible to participate?
· People with dystonia and Parkinson disease as well as those without these conditions
· Patients undergoing DBS surgery, on the few days immediately after their procedure
What is required of the participant?
· Spend about 2 hours in the lab, while we apply transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the scalp, mapping movements elicited by the stimuli, and measuring muscle activity from various arm muscles. People with implanted DBS systems will under TMS testing both ON and OFF DBS
· People immediately after DBS surgery, will have transcranial magnetic stimulation applied while recording activity from the externalized DBS lead and monitoring surface EEG electrodes applied to the scalp
University of Calgary and Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Ethics ID: REB 16-1654
