Effect of Dexmedetomidine and Propofol on Basal Ganglia Activity in Parkinson Disease: A Controlled Clinical Trial

Authors: Antonio Martinez-Simon, M.D., Ph.D. et al

Anesthesiology 6 2017, Vol.126, 1033-1042

Background: Deep brain stimulation electrodes can record oscillatory activity from deep brain structures, known as local field potentials. The authors’ objective was to evaluate and quantify the effects of dexmedetomidine (0.2 μg·kg^-1·h^-1) on local field potentials in patients with Parkinson disease undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery compared with control recording (primary outcome), as well as the effect of propofol at different estimated peak effect site concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 μg/ml) from control recording.

Methods: A nonrandomized, nonblinded controlled clinical trial was carried out to assess the change in local field potentials activity over time in 10 patients with Parkinson disease who underwent deep brain stimulation placement surgery (18 subthalamic nuclei). The relationship was assessed between the activity in nuclei in the same patient at a given time and repeated measures from the same nucleus over time.

Results: No significant difference was observed between the relative beta power of local field potentials in dexmedetomidine and control recordings (−7.7; 95% CI, −18.9 to 7.6). By contrast, there was a significant decline of 12.7% (95% CI, −21.3 to −4.7) in the relative beta power of the local field potentials for each increment in the estimated peak propofol concentrations at the effect site relative to the control recordings.

Conclusions: Dexmedetomidine (0.2 μg·kg^-1·h^-1) did not show effect on local field potentials compared with control recording. A significant deep brain activity decline from control recording was observed with incremental doses of propofol.