Esketamine in Microelectrode Recording-guided Subthalamic Deep-Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease

Under regional anesthesia, subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) has proven to be an effective therapeutic approach for improving motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease. However, a significant portion of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients is unable to cooperate with the surgery, necessitating the use of awake sedation. Nevertheless, the administration of anesthetic drugs often impacts the electrical signals recorded by microelectrodes to varying degrees. This study is designed as a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, two-arm investigation. PD patients scheduled for bilateral STN-DBS surgery will be randomly assigned to either the Dexmedetomidine group or the Dexmedetomidine combined with Esketamine group. The differences in neural activity between the two groups will be assessed using the normalized root mean square (NRMS) method. The primary outcome measure is NRMS, while secondary outcome measures include differences in beta oscillation power spectrum analysis, postoperative delirium incidence, postoperative changes in sleep disturbances, postoperative depression, anxiety status, and occurrence of adverse events.

Regional anesthesia for subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an effective treatment method for improving motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease. However, the majority of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients require awake sedation during the procedure. Nevertheless, the administration of anesthetic drugs often impacts the microelectrode recording (MER) signals to varying degrees. Current research suggests that Esketamine can provide sedation and analgesia while preserving the active brain electrical signals of patients. Additionally, it has been shown to improve sleep disturbances and alleviate depression and anxiety in patients.This study aims to compare the impact of Dexmedetomidine alone and Dexmedetomidine combined with Esketamine on MER during awake sedation in PD patients undergoing STN-DBS surgery, to clarify the influence of Esketamine on the intraoperative electrical signals of PD patients under awake sedation during DBS surgery. The experiment is designed as a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, non-inferiority study with a double-blind, two-arm design. PD patients scheduled for bilateral STN-DBS surgery will be randomly assigned to either the Dexmedetomidine group or the Dexmedetomidine combined with Esketamine group. The differences in neural activity between the two groups will be assessed using the normalized root mean square (NRMS) method. The primary outcome measure is NRMS, while secondary outcome measures include differences in beta oscillation power spectrum analysis, postoperative delirium incidence, postoperative changes in sleep disturbances, postoperative depression, anxiety status, and occurrence of adverse events.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

1.50-80 years old, ASA grade II-III; 2.Bilateral STN-DBS of patients with Parkinson's disease; 3.Signed informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Obstructive sleep apnea;
2. BMI \> 30kg/m2;
3. Estimated difficult airway;
4. Severe preoperative anxiety;
5. Serious dysfunction of important organs (i.e. heart failure, renal or liver dysfunction)
6. A history of allergy to the anaesthetics.