Author name cluster

Andrej Lasica

Possible papers associated with this exact author name in Arrow. This page groups case-insensitive exact name matches and is not a full identity disambiguation profile.

3 papers

1 author row

YNIMG Journal 2026 Journal Article

Technical considerations of functional MRI in deep brain stimulation: recent advances and future perspectives

Andrej Lasica
Silvia Mangia
Shalom Michaeli
Manuela Vaneckova
Robert Jech
Pavel Filip

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a valuable clinical and research tool for patients managed using deep brain stimulation (DBS). Unfortunately, MRI under these conditions is associated with substantial risks, necessitating stringent regulations that limit its clinical and research utility. In addition, magnetic susceptibility differences between DBS hardware and surrounding tissues significantly compromise spatial encoding mechanisms of conventional MRI sequences, resulting in image signal loss and geometric distortions. The impact on gradient-recalled echo echo-planar imaging sequences commonly utilised for functional MRI in DBS settings is particularly severe. This review presents a range of mitigation strategies aimed at both safety and enhanced image quality, spanning innovations in DBS hardware design to advanced MRI sequences capable of addressing issues inherent to the presence of DBS hardware, such as electrode heating and susceptibility artefacts. Additionally, we highlight approaches incorporating the discussed novel postprocessing techniques and functional MRI acquisition protocols, along with their limitations and associated challenges to enable their wider dissemination, with the overarching objective of improving the quality of life of DBS patients.

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YNICL Journal 2025 Journal Article

Sweet spot for resting-state functional MRI effect of deep brain stimulation in dystonia lies in the lower pallidal area

Pavel Filip
Andrej Lasica
Dimitra Kiakou
Karsten Mueller
Jiří Keller
Dušan Urgošík
Daniel Novák
Robert Jech

INTRODUCTION: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the internal globus pallidus (GPi) is a well-established, effective treatment for dystonia. Substantial variability of therapeutic success has been the one of the drivers of an ongoing debate about proper stimulation site and settings, with several indications of the notional sweet spot pointing to the lower GPi or even subpallidal area. METHODS: The presented patient-blinded, random-order study with cross-sectional verification against healthy controls enrolled 17 GPi DBS idiopathic, cervical or generalised dystonia patients to compare the effect of the stimulation in the upper and lower GPi area, with the focus on sensorimotor network connectivity and local activity measured using functional magnetic resonance. RESULTS: Stimulation brought both these parameters to levels closer to the state detected in healthy controls. This effect was much more pronounced during the stimulation in the lower GPi area or beneath it than in slightly higher positions, with stimulation-related changes detected by both metrics of interest in the sensorimotor cortex, striatum, thalamus and cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS: All in all, this study not only replicated the results of previous studies on GPi DBS as a modality restoring sensorimotor network connectivity and local activity in dystonia towards the levels in healthy population, but also showed that lower GPi area or even subpallidal structures, be it white matter or even small, but essential nodes in the zona incerta as nucleus basalis of Meynert, are important regions to consider when programming DBS in dystonia patients.

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YNICL Journal 2024 Journal Article

Structural and microstructural predictors of cognitive decline in deep brain stimulation of subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson’s disease

Pavel Filip
Josef Mana
Andrej Lasica
Jiří Keller
Dušan Urgošík
Jaromír May
Karsten Mueller
Robert Jech

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The intricate relationship between deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) and cognitive impairment has lately garnered substantial attention. The presented study evaluated pre-DBS structural and microstructural cerebral patterns as possible predictors of future cognitive decline in PD DBS patients. METHODS: Pre-DBS MRI data in 72 PD patients were combined with neuropsychological examinations and follow-up for an average of 2.3 years after DBS implantation procedure using a screening cognitive test validated for diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment in PD in a Czech population - Dementia Rating Scale 2. RESULTS: PD patients who would exhibit post-DBS cognitive decline were found to have, already at the pre-DBS stage, significantly lower cortical thickness and lower microstructural complexity than cognitively stable PD patients. Differences in the regions directly related to cognition as bilateral parietal, insular and cingulate cortices, but also occipital and sensorimotor cortex were detected. Furthermore, hippocampi, putamina, cerebellum and upper brainstem were implicated as well, all despite the absence of pre-DBS differences in cognitive performance and in the position of DBS leads or stimulation parameters between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that the cognitive decline in the presented PD cohort was not attributable primarily to DBS of the subthalamic nucleus but was associated with a clinically silent structural and microstructural predisposition to future cognitive deterioration present already before the DBS system implantation.

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