Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation in Early Stage Parkinson's Disease Is Not Associated with Increased Body Mass Index

Previous studies suggest that deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (stn-dbs) for parkinson's disease (pd) leads to weight gain. this study analyzes changes in body mass index (bmi) in 29 subjects from a prospective,single-blind trial of dbs in early stage pd (age 50-75,hoehn & yahr stage ii off medication,treated with antiparkinsonian medications for ≥6 months but <4 years,and without a history of motor fluctuations,dyskinesias,or dementia). subjects were randomized to dbs plus optimal drug therapy (dbs+odt; n=15) or odt (n=14) and followed for 24 months. weight and height were recorded at baseline and each follow-up visit and used to calculate bmi. bmis were compared within and between groups using nonparametric t-tests. mean bmi at baseline was 29.7 in the odt group and 32.3 in the dbs+odt group (p>0.05). bmi change over two years was not different between the groups (p=0.62,odt = -0.89; dbs+odt = -0.17). this study suggests that stn-dbs is not associated with weight gain in subjects with early stage pd. this finding will be tested in an upcoming fda-approved phase iii multicenter,randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled,pivotal clinical trial evaluating dbs in early stage pd (clinicaltrials.gov identifier nct00282152). © 2017 sarah h. millan et al.