Abstract

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a surgical method that consists in placing electrodes into specific targets in the brain and stimulating them with electrical impulses. DBS creates a possibility to reversibly modulate the function of neuronal networks without significant focal impairment of the brain. DBS is used in treatment of neurological diseases, foremost movement disorders, and has opened up new possibilities for studying the pathophysiology of brain diseases. Despite the minimally invasive character of DBS, it is still a neurosurgical procedure, which has potential risks and side effects like infection or haemorrhage. Wider usage of DBS (e.g. in treatment of epilepsy and obsessive-compulsive disorder) is based on randomised trials, but is nowadays focused on multidisciplinary treatment of treatmentresistant patients. The aim of this overview was to describe the latest developments of clinical usage of DBS.