Fig. 1

Clinical presentation and evolution of DBS-induced central itch. Upper row (Mai/2018): pronounced active skin inflammation, lichenification with arcuate and serpiginous areas on upper limbs and face caused by intense pruritus after DBS was switched on. Upper middle: reduced inflammation on the right-hand side of the face and body 2 months after the left DBS lead had been switched-off. Of note, improvement of itch and scratch lesions on the right-hand side occurred in detriment of pain control. Botton middle row: itch symptoms on the right-hand side stabilized following 4 months with the left DBS off switched-off. Since pain was uncontrollable, DBS was switched on bilaterally, however using different stimulation settings. Bottow row: 12-month follow-up after fine-tuning of DBS settings, presenting remarkable improvement of pruritus and skin inflammation on both sides