# Introduction

Lead-DBS is an open-source, MATLAB-based toolbox to **localize** and **visualize** electrodes in patients treated with deep brain stimulation. Importantly, the toolbox is intended for research and not for clinical use. First, this user guide focuses on Lead-DBS and single patient analysis with co-registration, normalization and reconstruction. Second, the user guide covers group analyses with Lead-Group.

This user guide is intended to cover most use cases. For troubleshooting or other questions, the Lead-DBS community offers great support on the [Slack user channel](https://www.lead-dbs.org/helpsupport/slack-user-channel/).

**Quick history:** Lead-DBS was initially developed at the [Movement Disorders Unit of Andrea Kühn](https://neurologie.charite.de/forschung/arbeitsgruppen/bewegungsstoerungen_andrea_kuehn), Department of Neurology, Charité – University Medicine (CCM), Berlin, Germany. Since 2019, the [Network Stimulation Laboratory of Andreas Horn ](https://www.netstim.org)has been coordinating the development.

**Other useful links:** [Lead-DBS website](https://github.com/netstim/leaddbs), [Lead-DBS on GitHub](https://github.com/netstim/leaddbs), [Lead-DBS on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/lead-dbs.org)

{% hint style="info" %}
If you are new to Lead-DBS, also check out [our resources for self-tutoring Lead-DBS using Lead Tutor here](https://www.lead-dbs.org/helpsupport/learn-lead-dbs-yourself/).
{% endhint %}

## Key Features

* Linear and nonlinear registration of MRI and CT images
* Reconstruction of the electrode trajectories
* Manual correction of the electrode localization
* Visualization of results in 2D slice views
* Visualization of a 3D model showing DBS electrodes and their target areas
* Calculation of the Volume of Activated Tissue (VAT) and visualization of the structural connectivity from the VAT to other brain areas
* Group analysis

## Dependencies

Lead-DBS is a collection of tools for the purpose of DBS electrode reconstructions and related processing. The core job of our development team is to find and integrate the best neuroimaging tools available within the open-source community and develop our own code where no good code can be found. Thus, Lead-DBS heavily depends on other tools that should be referenced properly if used for research projects. Please find a list of tools used by Lead-DBS [here](https://www.lead-dbs.org/?page_id=1126).


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://netstim.gitbook.io/leaddbs/readme.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.