Basal ganglia engagement during REM sleep movements in Parkinson's disease.

To elucidate the role of the basal ganglia during REM sleep movements in Parkinson's disease (PD) we recorded pallidal neural activity from four PD patients. Unlike desynchronization commonly observed during wakeful movements, beta oscillations (13-35 Hz) synchronized during REM sleep movements; furthermore, high-frequency oscillations (150-350 Hz) synchronized during movement irrespective of sleep-wake states. Our results demonstrate differential engagement of the basal ganglia during REM sleep and awake movements.