Automatic microelectrode recording analysis and visualization of the globus pallidus interna and stereotactic trajectory

Locating deep brain neuronal structures is required to accurately place deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes during stereotactic surgery in patients with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders. This study investigates the efficacy of automatic microelectrode visualization and analysis methods to help neurosurgeons locate target structures more objectively, consistently, and easily during surgery. Ten patients (4 males and 6 females) who underwent bilateral implantation of DBS electrodes in the globus pallidus interna (Gpi), from 2001 to 2003, at the Oregon Health and Science University and the Portland Veterans Administration Medical Center were included. We compared the efficacy of the microelectrode recording signal energy, power spectral density (PSD), marginal probability density (mPDF), autocorrelation function (ACF), and partial ACF. mPDF and PSD estimates most accurately indicated the borders of the GPi target structure.