Central Thalamic DBS for Disorders of Consciousness After Traumatic Brain Injury

The central thalamus has re-emerged as a compelling neuromodulation target across a range of neurologically devastating conditions. Once explored primarily for pain, central thalamic stimulation is now being actively investigated for drug-resistant epilepsy, disorders of consciousness following traumatic brain injury, chronic neuropathic pain, and movement disorders including Tourette syndrome. Despite shared anatomical targeting, the therapeutic rationale, stimulation parameters, and outcome measures differ substantially across these indications, and cross-pollination between disease-specific research programs has been limited.