ABSTRACT
The term ‘deep brain stimulation’ dates back to the 1970s. It is generally used to refer to electrical stimulation therapies that require placement of the stimulating lead into the brain using stereotaxic techniques. Neurostimulation technology can be used by the clinician to artificially depolarize or hyper-polarize nervous tissue. It is based on the fundamental electrical properties of the nervous system. Electrical stimulation of the nervous system is an alternative way to modulate the sub-circuits of the central nervous system (CNS) with the possibility of greater specificity. The CNS is the quintessential neural network. Neurostimulation is one means to modulate the information-processing activity of the CNS. Reduced to its simplest form, a neuro-stimulator consist of a power supply, a pair of electrodes in contact with the tissue, extension wires to connect the electrodes to the battery and a ‘switch’ that enables the power to be intermittently connected to the electrodes.
