Characterization of electrophysiological recordings during deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery is critical for anatomical targeting and is extensively utilized to investigate physiologic markers of Parkinson’s Disease (PD). 1,2 Transient improvement in clinical symptoms has been reported after microelectrode penetration, but the mechanism(s) underlying this improvement are not well understood. 3 DBS treatment leads to a suppression of the increased tonic firing rates of the Subthalamic Nucleus (STN) for PD. 4 Thus, we sought to determine the acute electrophysiologic effects of microelectrode penetration in the STN.
