Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an emerging approach in clinical practice and research. DBS involves the direct injection of trains of current pulses into a restricted area of the brain. Although the mechanisms of action of DBS are not fully understood, it seems clear that DBS affects neural circuits. This special issue focuses on how computational and theoretical neuroscience could advance deep brain stimulation. Theoretical neuroscientists study the activity of neural systems by developing mathematical theories and models, and studying them by analytical and simulation methods. A common assumption in computational neuroscience is that groups of neurons are dynamical systems whose activity represents the execution of well-defined functions, for example the encoding of force or velocity of hand movements, or the translation from object-centered to body-centered coordinates. Insights from theoretical neuroscience could advance the field of neurostimulation, and by providing a deeper computational and theoretical understanding of how deep brain stimulation affects neural activity could help design more effective patterns of deep brain stimulation, suggest alternate patterns, and help expand the scope of electrical stimulation as a therapeutic approach. In this issue we invite contributions from clinicians, experimentalists, and theoreticians that investigate how deep brain stimulation changes neural function. We especially invite work involving collaborations between researchers and clinicians.
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an emerging approach in clinical practice and research. DBS involves the direct injection of trains of current pulses into a restricted area of the brain. Although the mechanisms of action of DBS are not fully understood, it seems clear that DBS affects neural circuits. This special issue focuses on how computational and theoretical neuroscience could advance deep brain stimulation. Theoretical neuroscientists study the activity of neural systems by developing mathematical theories and models, and studying them by analytical and simulation methods. A common assumption in computational neuroscience is that groups of neurons are dynamical systems whose activity represents the execution of well-defined functions, for example the encoding of force or velocity of hand movements, or the translation from object-centered to body-centered coordinates. Insights from theoretical neuroscience could advance the field of neurostimulation, and by providing a deeper computational and theoretical understanding of how deep brain stimulation affects neural activity could help design more effective patterns of deep brain stimulation, suggest alternate patterns, and help expand the scope of electrical stimulation as a therapeutic approach. In this issue we invite contributions from clinicians, experimentalists, and theoreticians that investigate how deep brain stimulation changes neural function. We especially invite work involving collaborations between researchers and clinicians.
