Local field potentials in dystonia (LFP-DYT) – Assessment of the reproducibility and translational aspects of local field potential analysis in globus pallidus interna deep brain stimulation for dystonia

Surgeons already implant deep brain stimulation (DBS) devices into the brains of people with dystonia to ease their muscle spasms, but they currently set the stimulation levels largely by trial and error. This study will test whether a new generation of implant—the Medtronic Percept device, already standard in NHS care—can improve that process by recording the brain’s own electrical signals, called local field potentials (LFPs), from the globus pallidus interna. In Parkinson’s disease, LFP recordings help clinicians fine-tune stimulation for better symptom control. For dystonia, that same feedback loop has not been studied. The researchers will monitor patients already scheduled for DBS surgery, taking extra readings during the first year after implantation to map how LFPs change over time and whether those signals can guide stimulation adjustments. If the approach works, it could replace guesswork with data-driven programming, reducing the number of clinic visits needed to optimise settings and improving quality of life for people with dystonia. The study is a direct clinical investigation—not fundamental science—and its success would mean a practical upgrade to an existing NHS treatment, with no new hardware required.