The effect of subthalamic nucleus stimulation on kinaesthesia in Parkinson's disease.

<bold>Background: </bold>Parkinson's disease is accompanied by deficits in passive motion and limb position sense.<bold>Objective: </bold>To investigate whether deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) reverses these proprioceptive deficits.<bold>Methods and Results: </bold>A passive movement task was applied to nine patients with Parkinson's disease and bilateral chronic STN-DBS and to seven controls. Thresholds for 75% correct responses were 0.9 degrees for controls, 2.5 degrees for Parkinson's disease patients when stimulation was OFF, and 2.0 degrees when stimulation was ON.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>STN-DBS improves kinaesthesic deficits in Parkinson's disease, but does not lead to a full recovery of proprioceptive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]