The Human Brain:
The Structural Basis for Understanding Human Brain Function and Dysfunction

+++ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE +++ ROME +++ IRCCS SANTA LUCIA +++ Oct. 5-10, 2002 +++
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Jonathan O. Dostrovsky
Dept. of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Presentation:
2002-10-07, 12:50-13:30
Single unit recordings in human thalamus.
Implantation of chronic stimulation electrodes or placement of small lesions in thalamus for the treatment of movement disorders and pain is now routinely performed. In order to help localize the target site within thalamus, recordings of neuronal activity and/or determination of the effects of stimulation within thalamus are performed intraoperatively in the awake patient under local anesthesia. These recordings afford a unique opportunity to study the physiology and pathophysiology of the human thalamus. This presentation will briefly describe the techniques employed and provide examples of the types of physiological information that can be obtained and which help localize the surgical target. The remainder of the talk will briefly present the results of several studies that we have performed utilizing these techniques. These studies have examined the role of thalamus in mediating pain and temperature sensations, the reorganization following amputation and spinal cord injury and associated phantom limb sensations and alterations in firing rates and firing patterns that may be related to the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the patient's disease.

 
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