The Influence of Deep Brain Stimulation on Eye Movements

Over the past half-century, electrical stimulation of specific areas of the brain has revolutionised the treatment of movement disorders. The insertion of electrodes into the brain for therapeutic purposes also provides a unique opportunity for research into human brain function and pathophysiology. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of parts of the basal ganglia has helped illuminate the importance of the deep nuclei in oculomotor control (Fitzgerald and Antoniades, Curr Opin Neurol, 29(1), 69–73, 2016). The reverse is also true: changes in eye movements are yielding clues to the mechanism of action of DBS, which remains poorly understood. This chapter provides an overview of the relationship between deep brain stimulation (DBS) and eye movements.