Methods of neural centre location and electrode placement in the central nervous system

A method of directing an electrode to a position in the subthalamic nucleus in the central nervous system of an animal comprising the steps of:

• i) stimulating neurons at a first central nervous system position by applying a stimulus to the brain;
• ii) measuring the field potential evoked at an electrode located at a second central nervous system position;
• iii) comparing the evoked field potential against a known characteristic evoked field potential from the subthalamic nucleus, and
• iv) repeating steps i-iii for one or a plurality of cycles until the evoked field potential corresponds to said known evoked field potential,
• wherein between subsequent cycles the evoked field potential is analysed and the position of measurement in step ii) is adjusted to optimise the correspondence between the evoked and known field potentials in the subsequent cycle.

A method of locating the position of the subthalamic nucleus in the central nervous system of an animal comprising the steps of:

• a) stimulating neurons of the cerebral cortex;
• b) measuring the field potential evoked at a position in the brain;
• c) comparing the evoked field potential against a known characteristic evoked field potential from the subthalamic nucleus resulting from stimulation of the cerebral cortex;
• and d) locating the subthalamic nucleus with the comparison in step c.

A method of locating the position of the subthalamic nucleus of an animal comprising the steps of:

• a) stimulating neurons at a first central nervous system position;
• b) measuring the field potential evoked at a second central nervous system position;
• c) comparing the evoked field potential against a known characteristic evoked field potential from the subthalamic nucleus resulting from stimulation of the first central nervous system position;
• and d) locating the subthalamic nucleus with the comparison in step c.