Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as a revolutionary technique for accessing and modulating brain circuits. DBS is used to treat dysfunctional neuronal circuits in neurological and psychiatric disorders. Despite over two decades of clinical application, the fundamental mechanisms underlying DBS are still not well understood. One reason is the complexity of in vivo electrical manipulation of the central nervous system, particularly in rodent models. DBS-devices for freely moving rodents are typically custom-designed and not commercially available, thus making it difficult to perform experimental DBS according to common standards. Addressing these challenges, we have developed a novel wireless microstimulation system for deep brain stimulation (wDBS) tailored for rodents. We demonstrate the efficacy of this device for the restoration of behavioral impairments in hemiparkinsonian mice through unilateral wDBS of the subthalamic nucleus. Moreover, we introduce a standardized and innovative pipeline, integrating machine learning techniques to analyze Parkinson’s disease-like and DBS-induced gait changes.

深部脑刺激（DBS）已成为一种访问和调节大脑回路的革命性技术。 DBS 用于治疗神经和精神疾病中功能失调的神经元回路。尽管临床应用已有二十多年，但 DBS 的基本机制仍不清楚。原因之一是中枢神经系统的体内电操纵的复杂性，特别是在啮齿动物模型中。用于自由活动的啮齿动物的 DBS 设备通常是定制设计的，并且无法在市场上买到，因此很难根据通用标准进行实验性 DBS。为了解决这些挑战，我们开发了一种专为啮齿类动物量身定制的新型无线微刺激系统，用于深部脑刺激 (wDBS)。我们证明了该装置通过丘脑底核的单侧 wDBS 恢复偏侧帕金森病小鼠行为障碍的功效。此外，我们引入了标准化和创新的流程，集成机器学习技术来分析帕金森病样和 DBS 引起的步态变化。