Deep Brain Stimulation of the Substantia Nigra Pars Reticulata for Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia: A Case Report

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease (1) via modulation of motor corticostriatothalamic circuits (CSTs) (2,3). CST connections to motor, limbic, and associative cortices are also promising DBS targets for Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder (4), and major depression (5–8). Schizophrenia (SZ) is a disorder with disruptions in limbic and associative CSTs (9,10). One-fifth to one-half of SZ patients are treatment resistant (TR). DBS targeted at basal ganglia structures within limbic and associative CSTs could have the potential to alleviate TR SZ symptoms.