LOW-FREQUENCY DEEP BRAIN STIMULATION PROMOTES LONG-TERM OROFACIAL MOTOR RECOVERY AFTER TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: A CASE STUDY

Low-frequency continuous deep brain stimulation at 55 Hz of the motor thalamus is linked to progressive, long-term recovery of orofacial motor function in a first-in-human severe diffuse axonal injury case.

• Why it matters: Diffuse axonal injury can disrupt corticobulbar pathways, leaving chronic speech and swallowing deficits; early evidence is needed for therapies that extend recovery in chronic TBI.
• What they did: A patient received bilateral motor thalamus DBS one year post-injury for post-traumatic action tremor, with outcomes tracked over three years using facial kinematics, videofluoroscopic swallowing, and speech tasks comparing DBS ON versus OFF and DBS OFF over time.
• The result: Continuous stimulation was associated with improved facial symmetry, resolution of laryngeal penetration, and better respiratory/phonatory control and speech intelligibility, with some gains persisting off-stimulation while fine articulation remained stimulation- or therapy-dependent.

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