Outlining Biological Effects of Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease Patients. (BRAIN-DBS-GAIN)

Inclusion Criteria:

• clinically established diagnosis of PD according to the criteria of the Movement Disorder Society (MDS) (Postuma et al., Mov Disord 2015);
• a minimum disease duration of 4 years;
• eligibility for STN-DBS surgery according to Core Assessment Program for Surgical Interventional Therapies in PD (Defer et al., Mov Disord 1999);
• age between 18 and 75 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

• inability to express an informed consent;
• moderate or severe cognitive impairment (score < 24 on the Mini-Mental State Examination);
• severe psychiatric symptoms (e.g., psychosis, major depression);
• previous neurosurgical interventions for PD;
• pregnancy;
• ongoing inflammatory or autoimmune diseases;
• chronic infectious diseases;
• active neoplasms;
• chronic intake of anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. steroids or NSAIDs).