High-frequency synchronization of neuronal activity in the subthalamic nucleus of parkinsonian patients with limb tremor

Differential localization of GABA(A) receptor subunits in relation to rat striatopallidal and pallidopallidal synapses

As a central integrator of basal ganglia function, the external segment of the globus pallidus (GP) plays a critical role in the control of voluntary movement. The GP is composed of a network of inhibitory GABA-containing projection neurons which receive GABAergic input from axons of the striatum (Str) and local collaterals of GP neurons. Here, using electrophysiological techniques and immunofluorescent labeling we have investigated the differential cellular distribution of α1, α2 and α3 GABA(A) receptor subunits in relation to striatopallidal (Str-GP) and pallidopallidal (GP-GP) synapses. Electrophysiological investigations showed that zolpidem (100 nm; selective for the α1 subunit) increased the amplitude and the decay time of both Str-GP and GP-GP IPSCs, indicating the presence of the α1 subunits at both synapses. However, the application of drugs selective for the α2, α3 and α5 subunits (zolpidem at 400 nm, L-838,417 and TP003) revealed differential effects on amplitude and decay time of IPSCs, suggesting the nonuniform distribution of non-α1 subunits. Immunofluorescence revealed widespread distribution of the α1 subunit at both soma and dendrites, while double- and triple-immunofluorescent labeling for parvalbumin, enkephalin, gephyrin and the γ2 subunit indicated strong immunoreactivity for GABA(A) α3 subunits in perisomatic synapses, a region mainly targeted by local axon collaterals. In contrast, immunoreactivity for synaptic GABA(A) α2 subunits was observed in dendritic compartments where striatal synapses are preferentially located. Due to the kinetic properties which each GABA(A) α subunit confers, this distribution is likely to contribute differentially to both physiological and pathological patterns of activity.

The translational value of the MPTP non-human primate model of Parkinsonism for deep brain stimulation research

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been applied in more than 70000 patients worldwide during the last two decades. The main target is the subthalamic nucleus (STN) for the treatment of motor complications in late stage Parkinson's disease (PD). Positive results in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated non-human primates have set the grounds for its successful translation to PD patients. Since then, this model has allowed gaining significant insights in the underlying mechanisms of action of DBS and is currently being used for the development of new stimulation techniques. Altogether, this underpins the high potential of this preclinical model for future translation of DBS research in PD.

Subthalamic neuronal firing in obsessive-compulsive disorder and Parkinson disease

OBJECTIVE

Although electrophysiologic dysfunction of the subthalamic nucleus is putative, deep brain stimulation of this structure has recently been reported to improve obsessions and compulsions. In Parkinson disease, sensorimotor subthalamic neurons display high-frequency burst firing, which is considered as an electrophysiologic signature of motor loop dysfunction. We addressed whether such neuronal dysfunction of the subthalamic nucleus also exists in the nonmotor loops involved in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

METHODS

We compared the neuronal activity of the subthalamic nucleus recorded in 9 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder with that of 11 patients with Parkinson disease measured during intraoperative exploration for deep brain stimulation.

RESULTS

The mean subthalamic neuron discharge rate was statistically lower in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder than in patients with Parkinson disease (20.5 ± 11.0 Hz, n = 100 and 30.8 ± 15.6 Hz, n = 93, respectively, p < 0.001). The relative proportion of burst neurons did not differ significantly between the 2 diseases (75% vs 73%). Interestingly, burst neurons were predominantly left-sided in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

INTERPRETATION

The recording of burst neurons within the nonmotor subthalamic nucleus in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder is a novel finding that suggests the existence of deregulation of the nonmotor basal ganglia loop, possibly left-sided. Potentially, burst activity might interfere with normal processes occurring within nonmotor loops.

The effects of chronic levodopa treatments on the neuronal firing properties of the subthalamic nucleus and substantia nigra reticulata in hemiparkinsonian rhesus monkeys

Dopamine replacement therapy with levodopa (LD) is currently the most effective pharmacological treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by dysfunction of basal ganglia electrophysiology. The effects of chronic LD treatments on the electrophysiological activity of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the substantia nigra reticulata (SNR) in parkinsonism are not clear. In the present study we examined the effects of chronic LD treatments on the firing rate and firing pattern of STN and SNR neurons in the stable hemiparkinsonian monkey model of PD. We also evaluated local field potentials of both nuclei before and after LD treatments. In a stable hemiparkinsonian state, STN and SNR had a mean firing rate of 42.6 ± 3.5H z (mean ± SEM) and 52.1 ± 5.7 Hz, respectively. Chronic intermittent LD exposure induced marked amelioration of parkinsonism with no apparent drug-induced motor complications. LD treatments did not significantly change the mean firing rate of STN neurons (41.3 ± 3.3 Hz) or bursting neuronal firing patterns. However, LD treatments induced a significant reduction of the mean firing rates of SNR neurons to 36.2 ± 3.3 Hz (p<0.05) and a trend toward increased burstiness. The entropy of the spike sequences from STN and SNR was unchanged by LD treatment, while there was a shift of spectral power into higher frequency bands in the LFPs. The inability of chronic LD treatments to reduce the bursty firing patterns in the STN and SNR should be further examined as a potential pathophysiological mechanism for PD symptoms that are refractory to LD treatments.

Mass synchronization: occurrence and its control with possible applications to brain dynamics

Occurrence of strong or mass synchronization of a large number of neuronal populations in the brain characterizes its pathological states. In order to establish an understanding of the mechanism underlying such pathological synchronization, we present a model of coupled populations of phase oscillators representing the interacting neuronal populations. Through numerical analysis, we discuss the occurrence of mass synchronization in the model, where a source population which gets strongly synchronized drives the target populations onto mass synchronization. We hypothesize and identify a possible cause for the occurrence of such a synchronization, which is so far unknown: Pathological synchronization is caused not just because of the increase in the strength of coupling between the populations but also because of the strength of the strong synchronization of the drive population. We propose a demand controlled method to control this pathological synchronization by providing a delayed feedback where the strength and frequency of the synchronization determine the strength and the time delay of the feedback. We provide an analytical explanation for the occurrence of pathological synchronization and its control in the thermodynamic limit.

Model-driven therapeutic treatment of neurological disorders: reshaping brain rhythms with neuromodulation

Electric stimulation has been investigated for several decades to treat, with various degrees of success, a broad spectrum of neurological disorders. Historically, the development of these methods has been largely empirical but has led to a remarkably efficient, yet invasive treatment: deep brain stimulation (DBS). However, the efficiency of DBS is limited by our lack of understanding of the underlying physiological mechanisms and by the complex relationship existing between brain processing and behaviour. Biophysical modelling of brain activity, describing multi-scale spatio-temporal patterns of neuronal activity using a mathematical model and taking into account the physical properties of brain tissue, represents one way to fill this gap. In this review, we illustrate how biophysical modelling is beginning to emerge as a driving force orienting the development of innovative brain stimulation methods that may move DBS forward. We present examples of modelling works that have provided fruitful insights in regards to DBS underlying mechanisms, and others that also suggest potential improvements for this neurosurgical procedure. The reviewed literature emphasizes that biophysical modelling is a valuable tool to assist a rational development of electrical and/or magnetic brain stimulation methods tailored to both the disease and the patient's characteristics.

Synchronization control of interacting oscillatory ensembles by mixed nonlinear delayed feedback

We propose a method for the control of synchronization in two oscillator populations interacting according to a drive-response coupling scheme. The response ensemble of oscillators, which gets synchronized because of a strong forcing by the intrinsically synchronized driving ensemble, is controlled by mixed nonlinear delayed feedback. The stimulation signal is constructed from the mixed macroscopic activities of both ensembles. We show that the suggested method can effectively decouple the interacting ensembles from each other, where the natural desynchronous dynamics can be recovered in a demand-controlled way either in the stimulated ensemble, or, intriguingly, in both stimulated and not stimulated populations. We discuss possible therapeutic applications in the context of the control of abnormal brain synchrony in loops of affected neuronal populations.

Data-driven approach to the estimation of connectivity and time delays in the coupling of interacting neuronal subsystems

One of the challenges in neuroscience is the detection of directionality between signals reflecting neural activity. To reveal the directionality of coupling and time delays between interacting multi-scale signals, we use a combination of a data-driven technique called empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and partial directed coherence (PDC) together with the instantaneous causality test (ICT). EMD is used to separate multiple processes associated with different frequency bands, while PDC and ICT allow to explore directionality and characteristic time delays, respectively. We computationally validate our approach for the cases of both stochastic and chaotic oscillatory systems with different types of coupling. Moreover, we apply our approach to the analysis of the connectivity in different frequency bands between local field potentials (LFPs) bilaterally recorded from the left and right of subthalamic nucleus (STN) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). We reveal a bidirectional coupling between the left and right STN in the beta-band (10-30 Hz) for an akinetic PD patient and in the tremor band (3-5 Hz) for a tremor-dominant PD patient. We detect a short time delay, most probably reflecting the inter-hemispheric transmission time. Additionally, in both patients we observe a long time delay of approximately a mean period of the beta-band activity in the akinetic PD patient or the tremor band activity in the tremor-dominant PD patient. These long delays may emerge in subcortico-thalamic loops or longer pathways, comprising reflex loops, respectively. We show that the replacement of EMD by conventional bandpass filtering complicates the detection of directionality and leads to a spurious detection of time delays.

theta, beta But not alpha-band EEG connectivity has implications for dual task performance in Parkinson's disease

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) have difficulty performing dual tasks or simultaneous movements, even if the same movements can be easily performed individually. This has particular significance clinically, as for example falling injuries may occur if care is not taken to perform tasks one at a time. We investigated whether this difficultyx results from impaired dopamine-modulated connectivity. We recorded the EEG in PD subjects off and on l-dopa medication performing simultaneous and unimanual tracking tasks. To deal with the inherent non-stationarity of the EEG during motor tasks, we segmented the data into task-related sections based on transient synchronisation between independent components of the data, before assessing the mutual information (MI) between each EEG channel pair. In both tasks, PD subjects off-medication demonstrated enhanced fronto-central and decreased occipital synchronisation within theta and alpha bands, and widespread increased beta-band synchronisation, compared to controls. Synchronisation changes in theta and beta bands were partially normalised by l-dopa, but l-dopa had relatively little effect on alpha band synchronisation. When comparing simultaneous movements to unimanual tracking, PD subjects off-medication demonstrated synchronisation changes within theta and beta bands, however alpha connectivity was largely unchanged. These results suggest that downstream influences of impaired basal ganglia function on cortico-cortical connectivity may result in difficulties with dual task performance in PD.

Beta frequency synchronization in basal ganglia output during rest and walk in a hemiparkinsonian rat

Synchronized oscillatory neuronal activity in the beta frequency range has been observed in the basal ganglia of Parkinson's disease patients and hypothesized to be antikinetic. The unilaterally lesioned rat model of Parkinson's disease allows examination of this hypothesis by direct comparison of beta activity in basal ganglia output in non-lesioned and dopamine cell lesioned hemispheres during motor activity. Bilateral substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) recordings of units and local field potentials (LFP) were obtained with EMG activity from the scapularis muscle in control and unilaterally nigrostriatal lesioned rats trained to walk on a rotary treadmill. After left hemispheric lesion, rats had difficulty walking contraversive on the treadmill but could walk in the ipsiversive direction. During inattentive rest, SNpr LFP power in the 12-25 Hz range (low beta) was significantly greater in the dopamine-depleted hemisphere than in non-lesioned and control hemispheres. During walking, low beta power was reduced in all hemispheres, while 25-40 Hz (high beta) activity was selectively increased in the lesioned hemisphere. High beta power increases were reduced by l-DOPA administration. SNpr spiking was significantly more synchronized with SNpr low beta LFP oscillations during rest and high beta LFP oscillations during walking in the dopamine-depleted hemispheres compared with non-lesioned hemispheres. Data show that dopamine loss is associated with opposing changes in low and high beta range SNpr activity during rest and walk and suggest that increased synchronization of high beta activity in SNpr output from the lesioned hemisphere during walking may contribute to gait impairment in the hemiparkinsonian rat.

A computational study of the interdependencies between neuronal impulse pattern, noise effects and synchronization

Alterations of individual neurons dynamics and associated changes of the activity pattern, especially the transition from tonic firing (single-spikes) to bursts discharges (impulse groups), play an important role for neuronal information processing and synchronization in many physiological processes (sensory encoding, information binding, hormone release, sleep-wake cycles) as well as in disease (Parkinson, epilepsy). We have used Hodgkin-Huxley-type model neurons with subthreshold oscillations to examine the impact of noise on neuronal encoding and thereby have seen significant differences depending on noise implementation as well as on the neuron's dynamic state. The importance of the individual neurons' dynamics is further elucidated by simulation studies with electrotonically coupled model neurons which revealed mutual interdependencies between the alterations of the network's coupling strength and neurons' activity patterns with regard to synchronization. Remarkably, a pacemaker-like activity pattern which revealed to be much more noise sensitive than the bursting patterns also requires much higher coupling strengths for synchronization. This seemingly simple pattern is obviously governed by more complex dynamics than expected from a conventional pacemaker which may explain why neurons more easily synchronize in the bursting than in the tonic firing mode.

Assessing instantaneous synchrony of nonlinear nonstationary oscillators in the brain

Neuronal populations throughout the brain achieve levels of synchronous electrophysiological activity as a consequence of both normal brain function as well as during pathological states such as in epileptic seizures. Understanding this synchrony and being able to quantitatively assess the dynamics with which neuronal oscillators across the brain couple their activity is a critical component toward decoding such complex behavior. Commonly applied techniques to resolve relationships between oscillators typically make assumptions of linearity and stationarity that are likely not to be valid for complex neural signals. In this study, intracranial electroencephalographic activity was recorded bilaterally in both hippocampi and in anteromedial thalamus of rat under normal conditions and during hypersynchronous seizure activity induced by focal injection of the epileptogenic agent kainic acid. Nonlinear oscillators were first extracted using empirical mode decomposition. The technique of eigenvalue decomposition was used to assess global phase synchrony of the highest energy oscillators. The Hilbert analytical technique was then used to measure instantaneous phase synchrony of these oscillators as they evolved in time. To test the reliability of this method, we first applied it to a system of two coupled Rössler attractors under varying levels of coupling with small frequency mismatch. The application of these analytical techniques to intracranially recorded brain signals provides a means for assessing how complex oscillatory behavior in the brain evolves and changes during both normal activity and as a consequence of diseased states without making restrictive and possibly erroneous assumptions of the linearity and stationarity of the underlying oscillatory activity.

The subthalamic nucleus in primary dystonia: single-unit discharge characteristics

Most models of dystonia pathophysiology predict alterations of activity in the basal ganglia thalamocortical motor circuit. The globus pallidus interna (GPi) shows bursting and oscillatory neuronal discharge in both human dystonia and in animal models, but it is not clear which intrinsic basal ganglia pathways are implicated in this abnormal output. The subthalamic nucleus (STN) receives prominent excitatory input directly from cortical areas implicated in dystonia pathogenesis and inhibitory input from the external globus pallidus. The goal of this study was to elucidate the role of the STN in dystonia by analyzing STN neuronal discharge in patients with idiopathic dystonia. Data were collected in awake patients undergoing microelectrode recording for implantation of STN deep brain stimulation electrodes. We recorded 62 STN neurons in 9 patients with primary dystonia. As a comparison group, we recorded 143 STN neurons in 20 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Single-unit activity was discriminated off-line by principal component analysis and evaluated with respect to discharge rate, bursting, and oscillatory activity. The mean STN discharge rate in dystonia patients was 26.3 Hz (SD 13.6), which was lower than that in the PD patients (35.6 Hz, SD 15.2), but higher than published values for subjects without basal ganglia dysfunction. Oscillatory activity was found in both disorders, with a higher proportion of units oscillating in the beta range in PD. Bursting discharge was a prominent feature of both dystonia and PD, whereas sensory receptive fields were expanded in PD compared with dystonia. The STN firing characteristics, in conjunction with those previously published for GPi, suggest that bursting and oscillatory discharge in basal ganglia output may be transmitted via pathways involving the STN and provide a pathophysiologic rationale for STN as a surgical target in dystonia.

The pharmacological blockade of medial forebrain bundle induces an acute pathological synchronization of the cortico-subthalamic nucleus-globus pallidus pathway

Pathological oscillations characterize the firing discharge of different basal ganglia (BG) stations in rat models of Parkinson's disease. Most recent literature focused on the prominence of the beta frequency band in awake rats. Yet, in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned animals, the firing discharge of the globus pallidus (GP) and the substantia nigra reticulata are in phase with urethane-induced slow wave cortical activity. The neuronal basis of this pathological synergy at low frequency is widely debated. In order to understand the role of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) signalling in the development of pathological synchronization, we performed a pharmacological inactivation of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) through tetrodotoxin (TTX), which led to a dramatic, but reversible, reduction of the dopamine content in the striatum. This procedure caused a significant contralateral akinesia, detectable as soon as anaesthesia vanished, and lasting about 3-4 h. We sought to determine the electrophysiological counterpart of this transient Parkinsonian-like hypokinetic syndrome. Hence, we obtained the electrocorticogram (ECoG) and single unit recordings from GP and subthalamic nucleus (STN) in normal rats before and after the TTX injection in MFB. Intriguingly, the TTX-mediated inactivation of MFB induced a fast developing coherence between cortex and GP and a significant increase of the cortex/STN synchronization. The intra-GP iontophoretic delivery of haloperidol or the GABA(A) receptor antagonist bicuculline induced a short term cortex/GP synchronization. Strikingly, STN inactivation by local muscimol reversed both haloperidol- and TTX-mediated coherence between cortex and GP. Our data show that an abnormal cortical/BG synchronization, at low frequency, can be reproduced also without SNc neuronal loss and striatal cytoarchitectonic alterations. In addition, our results, which represent an acute and reversible Parkinsonism based upon impaired cable properties, seem compatible with the interpretation of acute changes of the functional interplay between cortex and the STN-GP pathway as a key factor mechanism underlying the fast deep brain stimulation-induced acute Off-On transitions.

Electrophysiological properties of thalamic, subthalamic and nigral neurons during the anti-parkinsonian placebo response

Placebo administration to Parkinson patients is known to induce dopamine release in the striatum and to affect the activity of subthalamic nucleus (STN) neurons. By using intraoperative single-neuron recording techniques in awake patients, here we extend our previous study on STN recording, and characterize part of the neuronal circuit which is affected by placebos. In those patients who showed a clinical placebo response, there was a decrease in firing rate in STN neurons that was associated with a decrease in the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) and an increase in the ventral anterior (VA) and anterior ventral lateral (VLa) thalamus. These data show that placebo decreases STN and SNr activity whereas it increases VA/VLa activity. By contrast, placebo non-responders showed either a lack of changes in this circuit or partial changes in the STN only. Thus, changes in activity in the whole basal ganglia-VA/VLa circuit appear to be important in order to observe a clinical placebo improvement, although the involvement of other circuits, such as the direct pathway bypassing the STN, cannot be ruled out. The circuit we describe in the present study is likely to be a part of a more complex circuitry, including the striatum and the internal globus pallidus (GPi), that is modified by placebo administration. These findings indicate that a placebo treatment, which is basically characterized by verbal suggestions of benefit, can reverse the malfunction of a complex neuronal circuit, although these placebo-associated neuronal changes are short-lasting and occur only in some patients but not in others.

Delayed and lasting effects of deep brain stimulation on locomotion in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a variety of motor signs affecting gait, postural stability, and tremor. These symptoms can be improved when electrodes are implanted in deep brain structures and electrical stimulation is delivered chronically at high frequency (>100 Hz). Deep brain stimulation (DBS) onset or cessation affects PD signs with different latencies, and the long-term improvements of symptoms affecting the body axis and those affecting the limbs vary in duration. Interestingly, these effects have not been systematically analyzed and modeled. We compare these timing phenomena in relation to one axial (i.e., locomotion) and one distal (i.e., tremor) signs. We suggest that during DBS, these symptoms are improved by different network mechanisms operating at multiple time scales. Locomotion improvement may involve a delayed plastic reorganization, which takes hours to develop, whereas rest tremor is probably alleviated by an almost instantaneous desynchronization of neural activity in subcortical structures. Even if all PD patients develop both distal and axial symptoms sooner or later, current computational models of locomotion and rest tremor are separate. Furthermore, a few computational models of locomotion focus on PD and none exploring the effect of DBS was found in the literature. We, therefore, discuss a model of a neuronal network during DBS, general enough to explore the subcircuits controlling locomotion and rest tremor simultaneously. This model accounts for synchronization and plasticity, two mechanisms that are believed to underlie the two types of symptoms analyzed. We suggest that a hysteretic effect caused by DBS-induced plasticity and synchronization modulation contributes to the different therapeutic latencies observed. Such a comprehensive, generic computational model of DBS effects, incorporating these timing phenomena, should assist in developing a more efficient, faster, durable treatment of distal and axial signs in PD.

Sparse but selective and potent synaptic transmission from the globus pallidus to the subthalamic nucleus

The reciprocally connected GABAergic globus pallidus (GP)-glutamatergic subthalamic nucleus (STN) network is critical for voluntary movement and an important site of dysfunction in movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Although the GP is a key determinant of STN activity, correlated GP-STN activity is rare under normal conditions. Here we define fundamental features of the GP-STN connection that contribute to poorly correlated GP-STN activity. Juxtacellular labeling of single GP neurons in vivo and stereological estimation of the total number of GABAergic GP-STN synapses suggest that the GP-STN connection is surprisingly sparse: single GP neurons maximally contact only 2% of STN neurons and single STN neurons maximally receive input from 2% of GP neurons. However, GP-STN connectivity may be considerably more selective than even these estimates imply. Light and electron microscopic analyses revealed that single GP axons give rise to sparsely distributed terminal clusters, many of which correspond to multiple synapses with individual STN neurons. Application of the minimal stimulation technique in brain slices confirmed that STN neurons receive multisynaptic unitary inputs and that these inputs largely arise from different sets of GABAergic axons. Finally, the dynamic-clamp technique was applied to quantify the impact of GP-STN inputs on STN activity. Small fractions of GP-STN input were sufficiently powerful to inhibit and synchronize the autonomous activity of STN neurons. Together these data are consistent with the conclusion that the rarity of correlated GP-STN activity in vivo is due to the sparsity and selectivity, rather than the potency, of GP-STN synaptic connections.

The neurophysiology and effect of deep brain stimulation in a patient with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced parkinsonism

Parkinsonism caused by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) exposure was first identified in intravenous drug users. This neurotoxicant has since been used extensively in nonhuman primates to induce an experimental model of Parkinson disease (PD). In this study, the authors examined the intraoperative physiological characteristics and efficacy of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (DBS) in 1 of only 4 known living patients with MPTP-induced parkinsonism. The physiological recordings were consistent with recordings from MPTP-treated primates and humans with PD, thus providing further validation for the MPTP model in the study of the neurophysiology of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic deficit in PD. Furthermore, DBS produced a significant clinical improvement in this patient similar to the improvement seen after DBS in patients with idiopathic PD. This unique case has important implications for translational research that employs the MPTP-primate model for symptomatic therapy in PD.

Increased Gamma Oscillatory Activity in the Subthalamic Nucleus During Tremor in Parkinson's Disease Patients

Rest tremor is one of the main symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), although in contrast to rigidity and akinesia, the severity of the tremor does not correlate well with the degree of dopamine deficiency or the progression of the disease. Studies suggest that akinesia in PD patients is related to abnormal increased beta (15–30 Hz) and decreased gamma (35–80 Hz) synchronous oscillatory activity in the basal ganglia. Here we investigated the dynamics of oscillatory activity in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) during tremor. We used two adjacent microelectrodes to simultaneously record neuronal firing and local field potential (LFP) activity in nine PD patients who exhibited resting tremor during functional neurosurgery. We found that neurons exhibiting oscillatory activity at tremor frequency are located in the dorsal region of STN, where neurons with beta oscillatory activity are observed, and that their activity is coherent with LFP oscillations in the beta frequency range. Interestingly, in 85% of the 58 sites examined, the LFP exhibited increased oscillatory activity in the low gamma frequency range (35–55 Hz) during periods with stronger tremor. Furthermore, in 17 of 26 cases where two LFPs were recorded simultaneously, their coherence in the gamma range increased with increased tremor. When averaged across subjects, the ratio of the beta to gamma coherence was significantly lower in periods with stronger tremor compared with periods of no or weak tremor. These results suggest that resting tremor in PD is associated with an altered balance between beta and gamma oscillations in the motor circuits of STN.

Characterisation of tremor-associated local field potentials in the subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson's disease

We simultaneously recorded local field potentials (LFPs) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and surface electromyographic signals (EMGs) from the extensor and flexor muscles of the contralateral forearm in eight patients with idiopathic tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease (resting tremor) during the bilateral implantation of deep brain stimulation electrodes. Recordings were made at different heights (in 0.5- to 2.0-mm steps beginning outside the STN) using up to five concentrically configured macroelectrodes (2 mm apart). The patients were instructed to relax their contralateral forearm (rest condition). We analysed the coherence between tremor EMGs and STN LFPs, which showed significant tremor-associated coupling at single tremor and double tremor frequencies. Moreover, the EMG-LFP coherences were characterised by differences between antagonistic muscles (flexor, extensor) and by the spatial distribution of LFPs within the STN. Coherence at single and double tremor frequencies occurred significantly more frequently within STN than above STN (in the zona incerta). In this study, we were able to show that, within STN, tremor-associated LFP activity varied with spatial distribution and with the contralateral antagonistic forearm muscles. These findings suggest the existence of distribution- and muscle-specific tremor-associated LFP activity at different tremor frequencies and an organisation of tremor-related subloops within the STN.

Modulation of instantaneous synchrony during seizures by deep brain stimulation

Epileptic seizures were experimentally induced in the CA3 region of rat hippocampus in vivo. Recordings of seizure activity were made in both hippocampi as well as anteromedial region of the thalamus in order to analyze the instantaneous activity for synchronous oscillators. A new method is introduced for detecting this synchrony which combines empirical mode decomposition, the Hilbert analytic signal method and eigenvalue decomposition. Effects of targeted deep brain stimulation on multi-site synchrony were assessed as a means to extinguish hypersynchrony during epileptic seizures.

Mean-field modeling of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical system. I Firing rates in healthy and parkinsonian states

Parkinsonism leads to various electrophysiological changes in the basal ganglia-thalamocortical system (BGTCS), often including elevated discharge rates of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the output nuclei, and reduced activity of the globus pallidus external (GPe) segment. These rate changes have been explained qualitatively in terms of the direct/indirect pathway model, involving projections of distinct striatal populations to the output nuclei and GPe. Although these populations partly overlap, evidence suggests dopamine depletion differentially affects cortico-striato-pallidal connection strengths to the two pallidal segments. Dopamine loss may also decrease the striatal signal-to-noise ratio, reducing both corticostriatal coupling and striatal firing thresholds. Additionally, nigrostriatal degeneration may cause secondary changes including weakened lateral inhibition in the GPe, and mesocortical dopamine loss may decrease intracortical excitation and especially inhibition. Here a mean-field model of the BGTCS is presented with structure and parameter estimates closely based on physiology and anatomy. Changes in model rates due to the possible effects of dopamine loss listed above are compared with experiment. Our results suggest that a stronger indirect pathway, possibly combined with a weakened direct pathway, is compatible with empirical evidence. However, altered corticostriatal connection strengths are probably not solely responsible for substantially increased STN activity often found. A lower STN firing threshold, weaker intracortical inhibition, and stronger striato-GPe inhibition help explain the relatively large increase in STN rate. Reduced GPe-GPe inhibition and a lower GPe firing threshold can account for the comparatively small decrease in GPe rate frequently observed. Changes in cortex, GPe, and STN help normalize the cortical rate, also in accord with experiments. The model integrates the basal ganglia into a unified framework along with an existing thalamocortical model that already accounts for a wide range of electrophysiological phenomena. A companion paper discusses the dynamics and oscillations of this combined system.

Mean-field modeling of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical system. II Dynamics of parkinsonian oscillations

Neuronal correlates of Parkinson's disease (PD) include a shift to lower frequencies in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and enhanced synchronized oscillations at 3-7 and 7-30 Hz in the basal ganglia, thalamus, and cortex. This study describes the dynamics of a recent physiologically based mean-field model of the basal ganglia-thalamocortical system, and shows how it accounts for many key electrophysiological correlates of PD. Its detailed functional connectivity comprises partially segregated direct and indirect pathways through two populations of striatal neurons, a hyperdirect pathway involving a corticosubthalamic projection, thalamostriatal feedback, and local inhibition in striatum and external pallidum (GPe). In a companion paper, realistic steady-state firing rates were obtained for the healthy state, and after dopamine loss modeled by weaker direct and stronger indirect pathways, reduced intrapallidal inhibition, lower firing thresholds of the GPe and subthalamic nucleus (STN), a stronger projection from striatum to GPe, and weaker cortical interactions. Here it is shown that oscillations around 5 and 20 Hz can arise with a strong indirect pathway, which also causes increased synchronization throughout the basal ganglia. Furthermore, increased theta power with progressive nigrostriatal degeneration is correlated with reduced alpha power and peak frequency, in agreement with empirical results. Unlike the hyperdirect pathway, the indirect pathway sustains oscillations with phase relationships that coincide with those found experimentally. Alterations in the responses of basal ganglia to transient stimuli accord with experimental observations. Reduced cortical gains due to both nigrostriatal and mesocortical dopamine loss lead to slower changes in cortical activity and may be related to bradykinesia. Finally, increased EEG power found in some studies may be partly explained by a lower effective GPe firing threshold, reduced GPe-GPe inhibition, and/or weaker intracortical connections in parkinsonian patients. Strict separation of the direct and indirect pathways is not necessary to obtain these results.

Seven problems on the basal ganglia

Our knowledge on the functions of the basal ganglia has increased enormously during the last two decades. However, we still do not completely understand the primary function of the basal ganglia. In this article, I review fundamental problems on the basal ganglia that have emerged from recent findings, and propose their solutions in the following seven topics: first, organization of the cortico-basal ganglia loop, second, limitations of the 'direct and indirect pathways model', third, feedforward inhibition in the striatum, fourth, contribution of the basal ganglia to cortical activity through the thalamus, fifth, focused selection of movements and learning, sixth, firing rate model versus firing pattern model for the pathophysiology of movement disorders, and lastly mechanisms of stereotaxic surgery.

Molecular and cellular basis of small--and intermediate-conductance, calcium-activated potassium channel function in the brain

Small conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK or K_Ca2) channels link intracellular calcium transients to membrane potential changes. SK channel subtypes present different pharmacology and distribution in the nervous system. The selective blocker apamin, SK enhancers and mice lacking specific SK channel subunits have revealed multifaceted functions of these channels in neurons, glia and cerebral blood vessels. SK channels regulate neuronal firing by contributing to the afterhyperpolarization following action potentials and mediating I_AHP, and partake in a calcium-mediated feedback loop with NMDA receptors, controlling the threshold for induction of hippocampal long-term potentiation. The function of distinct SK channel subtypes in different neurons often results from their specific coupling to different calcium sources. The prominent role of SK channels in the modulation of excitability and synaptic function of limbic, dopaminergic and cerebellar neurons hints at their possible involvement in neuronal dysfunction, either as part of the causal mechanism or as potential therapeutic targets.

Pathological synchronisation in the subthalamic nucleus of patients with Parkinson's disease relates to both bradykinesia and rigidity

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with exaggerated oscillatory synchrony in the basal ganglia at frequencies over 8-35 Hz. Studies have demonstrated a suppression of local field potential (LFP) activity in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) upon treatment with the dopamine prodrug, levodopa, with the degree of suppression of power in the 8-35 Hz band correlating with the improvement in combined measures of bradykinesia and rigidity. However, these studies do not explicitly address the question of what is more important in predicting clinical change - synchronisation of neuronal activity or the specific frequency within the 8-35 Hz band over which the latter occurs. In addition, they have not demonstrated a relationship between treatment-induced changes in synchronisation and changes in bradykinesia or rigidity on their own. To this end, we collected and analysed LFP and clinical data in 30 patients with PD. We found significant correlations between levodopa-induced power suppression and rigidity and bradykinesia, when these clinical features were considered separately, but only when power suppression profiles were re-aligned to the frequency of peak synchronisation. Under these circumstances correlations with rigidity persisted despite partialising out the effect of bradykinesia and vice versa. These data suggest that levodopa-induced improvements in both rigidity and bradykinesia scale with the degree of suppression of oscillatory power in the STN LFP, and that this is true irrespective of the frequency at which synchronisation occurs across a broad band from 8-35 Hz.

Autonomous initiation and propagation of action potentials in neurons of the subthalamic nucleus

The activity of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is intimately related to movement and is generated, in part, by voltage-dependent Na(+) (Na(v)) channels that drive autonomous firing. In order to determine the principles underlying the initiation and propagation of action potentials in STN neurons, 2-photon laser scanning microscopy was used to guide tight-seal whole-cell somatic and loose-seal cell-attached axonal/dendritic patch-clamp recordings and compartment-selective ion channel manipulation in rat brain slices. Action potentials were first detected in a region that corresponded most closely to the unmyelinated axon initial segment, as defined by Golgi and ankyrin G labelling. Following initiation, action potentials propagated reliably into axonal and somatodendritic compartments with conduction velocities of approximately 5 m s(-1) and approximately 0.7 m s(-1), respectively. Action potentials generated by neurons with axons truncated within or beyond the axon initial segment were not significantly different. However, axon initial segment and somatic but not dendritic or more distal axonal application of low [Na(+)] ACSF or the selective Na(v) channel blocker tetrodotoxin consistently depolarized action potential threshold. Finally, somatodendritic but not axonal application of GABA evoked large, rapid inhibitory currents in concordance with electron microscopic analyses, which revealed that the somatodendritic compartment was the principal target of putative inhibitory inputs. Together the data are consistent with the conclusions that in STN neurons the axon initial segment and soma express an excess of Na(v) channels for the generation of autonomous activity, while synaptic activation of somatodendritic GABA(A) receptors regulates the axonal initiation of action potentials.

Subthalamic deep brain stimulation after anesthetic inhalation in Parkinson disease: a preliminary study

OBJECT

The authors of this preliminary study investigated the outcome and feasibility of intraoperative microelectrode recording (MER) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD) undergoing deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) after anesthetic inhalation.

METHODS

The authors conducted a retrospective analysis of 10 patients with PD who received a desflurane anesthetic during bilateral STN electrode implantation. The MERs were obtained as an intraoperative guide for final electrode implantation and the data were analyzed offline. The functional target coordinates of the electrodes were compared preoperatively with estimated target coordinates.

RESULTS

Outcomes were evaluated using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale 6 months after surgery. The mean improvement in total and motor Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores was 54.27 +/- 17.96% and 48.85 +/- 16.97%, respectively. The mean STN neuronal firing rate was 29.7 +/- 14.6 Hz. Typical neuronal firing patterns of the STN and substantia pars nigra reticulata were observed in each patient during surgery. Comparing the functional target coordinates, the z axis coordinates were noted to be significantly different between the pre- and postoperative coordinates.

CONCLUSIONS

The authors found that MER can be adequately performed while the patient receives a desflurane anesthetic, and the results can serve as a guide for STN electrode implantation. This may be a good alternative surgical method in patients with PD who are unable to tolerate deep brain stimulation surgery with local anesthesia.

Variety of synchronous regimes in neuronal ensembles

We consider a Hodgkin-Huxley-type model of oscillatory activity in neurons of the snail Helix pomatia. This model has a distinctive feature: It demonstrates multistability in oscillatory and silent modes that is typical for the thalamocortical neurons. A single neuron cell can demonstrate a variety of oscillatory activity: Regular and chaotic spiking and bursting behavior. We study collective phenomena in small and large arrays of nonidentical cells coupled by models of electrical and chemical synapses. Two single elements coupled by electrical coupling show different types of synchronous behavior, in particular in-phase and antiphase synchronous regimes. In an ensemble of three inhibitory synaptically coupled elements, the phenomenon of sequential synchronous dynamics is observed. We study the synchronization phenomena in the chain of nonidentical neurons at different oscillatory behavior coupled with electrical and chemical synapses. Various regimes of phase synchronization are observed: (i) Synchronous regular and chaotic spiking; (ii) synchronous regular and chaotic bursting; and (iii) synchronous regular and chaotic bursting with different numbers of spikes inside the bursts. We detect and study the effect of collective synchronous burst generation due to the cluster formation and the oscillatory death.