Mapping Subcortico-Cortical Coupling-A Comparison of Thalamic and Subthalamic Oscillations.

BACKGROUND: The ventral intermediate nucleus of the thalamus (VIM) is an effective target for deep brain stimulation in tremor patients. Despite its therapeutic importance, its oscillatory coupling to cortical areas has rarely been investigated in humans. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to identify the cortical areas coupled to the VIM in patients with essential tremor. METHODS: We combined resting-state magnetoencephalography with local field potential recordings from the VIM of 19 essential tremor patients. Whole-brain maps of VIM-cortex coherence in several frequency bands were constructed using beamforming and compared with corresponding maps of subthalamic nucleus (STN) coherence based on data from 19 patients with Parkinson's disease. In addition, we computed spectral Granger causality. RESULTS: The topographies of VIM-cortex and STN-cortex coherence were very similar overall but differed quantitatively. Both nuclei were coupled to the ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex in the high-beta band; to the sensorimotor cortex, brainstem, and cerebellum in the low-beta band; and to the temporal cortex, brainstem, and cerebellum in the alpha band. High-beta coherence to sensorimotor cortex was stronger for the STN (P = 0.014), whereas low-beta coherence to the brainstem was stronger for the VIM (P = 0.017). Although the STN was driven by cortical activity in the high-beta band, the VIM led the sensorimotor cortex in the alpha band. CONCLUSIONS: Thalamo-cortical coupling is spatially and spectrally organized. The overall similar topographies of VIM-cortex and STN-cortex coherence suggest that functional connections are not necessarily unique to one subcortical structure but might reflect larger frequency-specific networks involving VIM and STN to a different degree. © 2024 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Population-specific neuromodulation prolongs therapeutic benefits of deep brain stimulation.

Symptoms of neurological diseases emerge through the dysfunction of neural circuits whose diffuse and intertwined architectures pose serious challenges for delivering therapies. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) improves Parkinson's disease symptoms acutely but does not differentiate between neuronal circuits, and its effects decay rapidly if stimulation is discontinued. Recent findings suggest that optogenetic manipulation of distinct neuronal subpopulations in the external globus pallidus (GPe) provides long-lasting therapeutic effects in dopamine-depleted (DD) mice. We used synaptic differences to excite parvalbumin-expressing GPe neurons and inhibit lim-homeobox-6­expressing GPe neurons simultaneously using brief bursts of electrical stimulation. In DD mice, circuit-inspired DBS provided long-lasting therapeutic benefits that far exceeded those induced by conventional DBS, extending several hours after stimulation. These results establish the feasibility of transforming knowledge of circuit architecture into translatable therapeutic approaches.

Subthalamic and Pallidal Stimulations in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: Common and Dissociable Connections.

OBJECTIVE: The subthalamic nucleus (STN) and internal globus pallidus (GPi) are the most effective targets in deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the common and specific effects on brain connectivity of stimulating the 2 nuclei remain unclear. METHODS: Patients with PD receiving STN-DBS (n = 27, 6 women, mean age 64.8 years) or GPi-DBS (n = 28, 13 women, mean age 64.6 years) were recruited for resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the effects of STN-DBS and GPi-DBS on brain functional dynamics. RESULTS: The functional connectivity both between the somatosensory-motor cortices and thalamus, and between the somatosensory-motor cortices and cerebellum decreased in the DBS-on state compared with the off state (p < 0.05). The changes in thalamocortical connectivity correlated with DBS-induced motor improvement (p < 0.05) and were negatively correlated with the normalized intersection volume of tissues activated at both DBS targets (p < 0.05). STN-DBS modulated functional connectivity among a wider range of brain areas than GPi-DBS (p = 0.009). Notably, only STN-DBS affected connectivity between the postcentral gyrus and cerebellar vermis (p < 0.001) and between the somatomotor and visual networks (p < 0.001). INTERPRETATION: Our findings highlight common alterations in the motor pathway and its relationship with the motor improvement induced by both STN- and GPi-DBS. The effects on cortico-cerebellar and somatomotor-visual functional connectivity differed between groups, suggesting differentiated neural modulation of the 2 target sites. Our results provide mechanistic insight and yield the potential to refine target selection strategies for focal brain stimulation in PD. ANN NEUROL 2021;90:670-682.

Conveyance of cortical pacing for parkinsonian tremor-like hyperkinetic behavior by subthalamic dysrhythmia.

Parkinson's disease is characterized by both hypokinetic and hyperkinetic symptoms. While increased subthalamic burst discharges have a direct causal relationship with the hypokinetic manifestations (e.g., rigidity and bradykinesia), the origin of the hyperkinetic symptoms (e.g., resting tremor and propulsive gait) has remained obscure. Neuronal burst discharges are presumed to be autonomous or less responsive to synaptic input, thereby interrupting the information flow. We, however, demonstrate that subthalamic burst discharges are dependent on cortical glutamatergic synaptic input, which is enhanced by A-type K+ channel inhibition. Excessive top-down-triggered subthalamic burst discharges then drive highly correlative activities bottom-up in the motor cortices and skeletal muscles. This leads to hyperkinetic behaviors such as tremors, which are effectively ameliorated by inhibition of cortico-subthalamic AMPAergic synaptic transmission. We conclude that subthalamic burst discharges play an imperative role in cortico-subcortical information relay, and they critically contribute to the pathogenesis of both hypokinetic and hyperkinetic parkinsonian symptoms.

Model-based optimized phase-deviation deep brain stimulation for Parkinson 's disease.

High-frequency deep brain stimulation (HF-DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN), globus pallidus interna (GPi) and globus pallidus externa (GPe) are often considered as effective methods for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the stimulation of a single nucleus by HF-DBS can cause specific physical damage, produce side effects and usually consume more electrical energy. Therefore, we use a biophysically-based model of basal ganglia-thalamic circuits to explore more effective stimulation patterns to reduce adverse effects and save energy. In this paper, we computationally investigate the combined DBS of two nuclei with the phase deviation between two stimulation waveforms (CDBS). Three different stimulation combination strategies are proposed, i.e., STN and GPe CDBS (SED), STN and GPi CDBS (SID), as well as GPi and GPe CDBS (GGD). Resultantly, it is found that anti-phase CDBS is more effective in improving parkinsonian dynamical properties, including desynchronization of neurons and the recovery of the thalamus relay ability. Detailed simulation investigation shows that anti-phase SED and GGD are superior to SID. Besides, the energy consumption can be largely reduced by SED and GGD (72.5% and 65.5%), compared to HF-DBS. These results provide new insights into the optimal stimulation parameter and target choice of PD, which may be helpful for the clinical practice.

Short Versus Conventional Pulse-Width Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Crossover Comparison.

BACKGROUND: Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an effective therapy for selected Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations, but can adversely affect speech and axial symptoms. The use of short pulse width (PW) has been shown to expand the therapeutic window acutely, but its utility in reducing side effects in chronic STN-DBS patients has not been evaluated. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of short PW settings using 30-µs with conventional 60-µs settings on stimulation-induced dysarthria in Parkinson's disease patients with previously implanted STN-DBS systems. METHODS: In this single-center, double-blind, randomized crossover trial, we assigned 16 Parkinson's disease patients who had been on STN-DBS for a mean of 6.5 years and exhibited moderate dysarthria to 30-µs or 60-µs settings for 4 weeks followed by the alternative PW setting for a further 4 weeks. The primary outcome was difference in dysarthric speech measured by the Sentence Intelligibility Test between study baseline and the 2 PW conditions. Secondary outcomes included motor, nonmotor, and quality of life measures. RESULTS: There was no difference in the Sentence Intelligibility Test scores between baseline and the 2 treatment conditions (P = 0.25). There were also no differences noted in motor, nonmotor, or quality of life scores. The 30-µs settings were well tolerated, and adverse event rates were similar to those at conventional PW settings. Post hoc analysis indicated that patients with dysarthria and a shorter duration of DBS may be improved by short PW stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Short PW settings using 30 µs did not alter dysarthric speech in chronic STN-DBS patients. A future study should evaluate whether patients with shorter duration of DBS may be helped by short PW settings. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Deep brain stimulation induced normalization of the human functional connectome in Parkinson's disease.

Neuroimaging has seen a paradigm shift away from a formal description of local activity patterns towards studying distributed brain networks. The recently defined framework of the 'human connectome' enables global analysis of parts of the brain and their interconnections. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an invasive therapy for patients with severe movement disorders aiming to retune abnormal brain network activity by local high frequency stimulation of the basal ganglia. Beyond clinical utility, DBS represents a powerful research platform to study functional connectomics and the modulation of distributed brain networks in the human brain. We acquired resting-state functional MRI in 20 patients with Parkinson's disease with subthalamic DBS switched on and off. An age-matched control cohort of 15 subjects was acquired from an open data repository. DBS lead placement in the subthalamic nucleus was localized using a state-of-the art pipeline that involved brain shift correction, multispectral image registration and use of a precise subcortical atlas. Based on a realistic 3D model of the electrode and surrounding anatomy, the amount of local impact of DBS was estimated using a finite element method approach. On a global level, average connectivity increases and decreases throughout the brain were estimated by contrasting on and off DBS scans on a voxel-wise graph comprising eight thousand nodes. Local impact of DBS on the motor subthalamic nucleus explained half the variance in global connectivity increases within the motor network (R = 0.711, P < 0.001). Moreover, local impact of DBS on the motor subthalamic nucleus could explain the degree to how much voxel-wise average brain connectivity normalized towards healthy controls (R = 0.713, P < 0.001). Finally, a network-based statistics analysis revealed that DBS attenuated specific couplings known to be pathological in Parkinson's disease. Namely, coupling between motor thalamus and motor cortex was increased while striatal coupling with cerebellum, external pallidum and subthalamic nucleus was decreased by DBS. Our results show that resting state functional MRI may be acquired in DBS on and off conditions on clinical MRI hardware and that data are useful to gain additional insight into how DBS modulates the functional connectome of the human brain. We demonstrate that effective DBS increases overall connectivity in the motor network, normalizes the network profile towards healthy controls and specifically strengthens thalamo-cortical connectivity while reducing striatal control over basal ganglia and cerebellar structures.

Neuromodulation: Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment of Dystonia.

Dystonia is a heterogeneous, hyperkinetic movement disorder with sustained or intermittent abnormal postures, hyperkinetic muscle contractions, or repetitive movements. Classification of dystonia involves 2 axes: axis I and axis II, defining relevant clinical features and etiology, respectively. Medical therapy varies based on subtype and includes intramuscular botulinum toxin injections and oral anticholinergic pharmaceuticals. Deep brain stimulation became widely incorporated in 1999 after several landmark studies and has been effectively used in targets of the thalamus, pallidum, and subthalamic nucleus. New insights into pathophysiology of dystonia and genetic analysis continue to guide surgical technique toward ever-effective treatment.

EuroInf 2: Subthalamic stimulation, apomorphine, and levodopa infusion in Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: Real-life observational report of clinical efficacy of bilateral subthalamic stimulation (STN-DBS), apomorphine (APO), and intrajejunal levodopa infusion (IJLI) on quality of life, motor, and nonmotor symptoms (NMS) in Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: In this prospective, multicenter, international, real-life cohort observation study of 173 PD patients undergoing STN-DBS (n = 101), IJLI (n = 33), or APO (n = 39) were followed-up using PDQuestionnaire-8, NMSScale (NMSS), Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS)-III, UPDRS-IV, and levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD) before and 6 months after intervention. Outcome changes were analyzed with Wilcoxon signed-rank or paired t test when parametric tests were applicable. Multiple comparisons were corrected (multiple treatments/scales). Effect strengths were quantified with relative changes, effect size, and number needed to treat. Analyses were computed before and after propensity score matching, balancing demographic and clinical characteristics. RESULTS: In all groups, PDQuestionnaire-8, UPDRS-IV, and NMSS total scores improved significantly at follow-up. Levodopa equivalent daily dose was significantly reduced after STN-DBS. Explorative NMSS domain analyses resulted in distinct profiles: STN-DBS improved urinary/sexual functions, mood/cognition, sleep/fatigue, and the miscellaneous domain. IJLI improved the 3 latter domains and gastrointestinal symptoms. APO improved mood/cognition, perceptual problems/hallucinations, attention/memory, and the miscellaneous domain. Overall, STN-DBS and IJLI seemed favorable for NMSS total score, and APO favorable for neuropsychological/neuropsychiatric NMS and PDQuestionnaire-8 outcome. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first comparison of quality of life, nonmotor. and motor outcomes in PD patients undergoing STN-DBS, IJLI, and APO in a real-life cohort. Distinct effect profiles were identified for each treatment option. Our results highlight the importance of holistic nonmotor and motor symptoms assessments to personalize treatment choices. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Beneficial effects of bilateral subthalamic stimulation on alexithymia in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) improves quality of life (QoL) and motor and non-motor symptoms in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). However, its effect on alexithymia and its relationship to other neuropsychiatric symptoms and QoL in PD is unclear. METHODS: In this prospective, observational study of 39 patients with PD undergoing STN-DBS, we examined the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8 (PDQ-8), 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Self-Report Manic Inventory (SRMI), Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) activities of daily living, UPDRS motor examination and UPDRS complications (UPDRS-II/-III/-IV) and levodopa-equivalent daily dose (LEDD) pre-operatively and at 5-month follow-up. Outcome changes were tested with Wilcoxon signed-rank or paired t-test when parametric tests were applicable and corrected for multiple comparisons. The relationship between outcome changes was explored with bivariate correlations. Additionally, partial correlations between PDQ-8 and TAS-20 were computed controlling for HADS, SRMI and AES change scores. Predictor analyses for PDQ-8 improvement were calculated for all baseline parameters. RESULTS: The baseline prevalence of alexithymia was 17.9%. We observed significant beneficial effects of STN-DBS on PDQ-8, TAS-20, HADS, UPDRS-II, -III and -IV scores and significant LEDD reduction. The correlation between TAS-20 and PDQ-8 improvements remained significant after controlling for all other aforementioned outcomes. Predictor analyses for PDQ-8 improvement were significant for PDQ-8 and TAS-20. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of beneficial effects of STN-DBS on alexithymia. Alexithymia was significantly associated with QoL outcome independent of anxiety, depression, mania and apathy. Our study highlights the importance of alexithymia for holistic assessments of DBS outcomes.

Single unit activity of subthalamic nucleus of patients with Parkinson's disease under local and generalized anaesthesia: Multifactor analysis.

The analysis of neuronal activity in human brain is a complicated task as it meets several limitations, including small sample sizes, dependent variables in the dataset and the short duration of recordings that entangles the analysis procedure. Here, we present the comparative research of neuronal activity in subthalamic nucleus (STN) of 8 Parkinsonian patients undergoing DBS surgery in awake state and under propofol anaesthesia using different statistical approaches. We studied 25 parameters of single unit activity and performed a direct comparison of the parameters between the groups to characterise the changes in STN activity under anaesthesia. We found a significant decrease in firing rate and a prominent increase in bursting of neurons in the anaesthetised state. Also, these data were used to determine the most important parameters for classification. We revealed the differences between parametric and nonparametric approaches regarding the identification of the most important spike train features. The random forest trees algorithm showed a greater accuracy of classification (91.7 ± 1.8%) compared to generalised linear models (82.4 ± 3.8%). The lists of the features important for classification according to F-scores and random forest trees also differed markedly. Our results indicate that feature interactions play a key role in neuronal activity analysis and must be taken into account.

Alternating Modulation of Subthalamic Nucleus Beta Oscillations during Stepping.

Gait disturbances in Parkinson's disease are commonly refractory to current treatment options and majorly impair patient's quality of life. Auditory cues facilitate gait and prevent motor blocks. We investigated how neural dynamics in the human subthalamic nucleus of Parkinsons's disease patients (14 male, 2 female) vary during stepping and whether rhythmic auditory cues enhance the observed modulation. Oscillations in the beta band were suppressed after ipsilateral heel strikes, when the contralateral foot had to be raised, and reappeared after contralateral heel strikes, when the contralateral foot rested on the floor. The timing of this 20-30 Hz beta modulation was clearly distinct between the left and right subthalamic nucleus, and was alternating within each stepping cycle. This modulation was similar, whether stepping movements were made while sitting, standing, or during gait, confirming the utility of the stepping in place paradigm. During stepping in place, beta modulation increased with auditory cues that assisted patients in timing their steps more regularly. Our results suggest a link between the degree of power modulation within high beta frequency bands and stepping performance. These findings raise the possibility that alternating deep brain stimulation patterns may be superior to constant stimulation for improving parkinsonian gait.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Gait disturbances in Parkinson's disease majorly reduce patients' quality of life and are often refractory to current treatment options. We investigated how neural activity in the subthalamic nucleus of patients who received deep brain stimulation surgery covaries with the stepping cycle. 20-30 Hz beta activity was modulated relative to each step, alternating between the left and right STN. The stepping performance of patients improved when auditory cues were provided, which went along with enhanced beta modulation. This raises the possibility that alternating stimulation patterns may also enhance beta modulation and may be more beneficial for gait control than continuous stimulation, which needs to be tested in future studies.

Aberrant Hyperconnectivity in the Motor System at Rest Is Linked to Motor Abnormalities in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

Motor abnormalities are frequently observed in schizophrenia and structural alterations of the motor system have been reported. The association of aberrant motor network function, however, has not been tested. We hypothesized that abnormal functional connectivity would be related to the degree of motor abnormalities in schizophrenia. In 90 subjects (46 patients) we obtained resting stated functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for 8 minutes 40 seconds at 3T. Participants further completed a motor battery on the scanning day. Regions of interest (ROI) were cortical motor areas, basal ganglia, thalamus and motor cerebellum. We computed ROI-to-ROI functional connectivity. Principal component analyses of motor behavioral data produced 4 factors (primary motor, catatonia and dyskinesia, coordination, and spontaneous motor activity). Motor factors were correlated with connectivity values. Schizophrenia was characterized by hyperconnectivity in 3 main areas: motor cortices to thalamus, motor cortices to cerebellum, and prefrontal cortex to the subthalamic nucleus. In patients, thalamocortical hyperconnectivity was linked to catatonia and dyskinesia, whereas aberrant connectivity between rostral anterior cingulate and caudate was linked to the primary motor factor. Likewise, connectivity between motor cortex and cerebellum correlated with spontaneous motor activity. Therefore, altered functional connectivity suggests a specific intrinsic and tonic neural abnormality in the motor system in schizophrenia. Furthermore, altered neural activity at rest was linked to motor abnormalities on the behavioral level. Thus, aberrant resting state connectivity may indicate a system out of balance, which produces characteristic behavioral alterations.

General Anesthesia versus Local Anesthesia in StereotaXY (GALAXY) for Parkinson's disease: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to investigate if deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) for Parkinson's disease (PD) under general anesthesia further improves outcome by lessening postoperative cognitive, mood, and behavioral adverse effects; shorten surgical time and hospital admittance; and produce comparable symptomatic and functional improvement to surgery under local anesthesia. METHODS/DESIGN: The study will be a single-center, prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint trial comparing DBS under general anesthesia with DBS under local anesthesia. The primary outcome measure is a composite score of the postoperative cognitive, mood, and behavioral adverse effects and will be measured 6 months after surgery. The secondary outcome measures consist of changes in motor symptoms, adverse effects of stimulation and surgical complications, surgical time, functional health, quality of life, patient satisfaction with the outcome of treatment, patient evaluation of the burden of therapy, and medication. A total of 110 patients with advanced PD who are candidates for DBS will be randomized during a 2.5-year period. DISCUSSION: The aim of this trial is to further enhance the effectiveness of DBS treatment in PD while reducing the burden of DBS surgery by studying if DBS surgery under general anesthesia results in less cognitive, mood, and behavioral adverse effects compared with surgery under local anesthesia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Register, NTR5809 . Registered on 23 April 2016.

Modulation of Parkinsonian State With Uncertain Disturbance Based on Sliding Mode Control.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder of central nervous system that endangers the olds' health seriously. The motor symptoms of PD can be attributed to the distorted relay reliability of thalamus to cortical sensorimotor input that results from the increase of inhibitory input from internal segment of the globus pallidum (GPi). Based on this, we construct the GPi-thalamocortical computational model to generate the normal and pathological firing patterns by varying GPi spike train input. A kind of closed-loop deep brain stimulation (DBS) strategy is proposed here. Our control objective is to make the controlled membrane potential of the thalamic neuron return to the normal firing pattern. The control input that directly acts on the thalamus is the DBS waveform, which is adjusted in real time according to the feedback signal. Aimed at a certain system without the change of object parameters or stochastic disturbance, the input-output feedback linearization method is able to eliminate the error between the system output and the desired output. When uncertain elements taken into consideration in the system, the simulation results indicate that sliding mode control scheme provides better effectiveness and higher robustness.

Deep brain stimulation or thalamotomy in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome? Case report.

We present the case of a 66-year-old man who has been treated for essential tremor since the age of 58. He developed mild cerebellar gait ataxia seven years after tremor onset. Moderate, global brain atrophy was identified on MRI scans. At the age of 68, only temporary tremor relief could be achieved by bilateral deep brain stimulation of the ventral intermedius nucleus of the thalamus. Bilateral stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus also resulted only in transient improvement. In the meantime, progressive gait ataxia and tetraataxia developed accompanied by other cerebellar symptoms, such as nystagmus and scanning speech. These correlated with progressive development of bilateral symmetric hyperintensity of the middle cerebellar peduncles on T2 weighted MRI scans. Genetic testing revealed premutation of the FMR1 gene, establishing the diagnosis of fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome. Although this is a rare disorder, it should be taken into consideration during preoperative evaluation of essential tremor. Postural tremor ceased two years later after thalamotomy on the left side, while kinetic tremor of the right hand also improved.

One-pass deep brain stimulation of dentato-rubro-thalamic tract and subthalamic nucleus for tremor-dominant or equivalent type Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Refractory tremor in tremor-dominant (TD) or equivalent-type (EQT) idiopathic Parkinson's syndrome (IPS) poses the challenge of choosing the best target region to for deep brain stimulation (DBS). While the subthalamic nucleus is typically chosen in younger patients as the target for dopamine-responsive motor symptoms, it is more complicated if tremor does not (fully) respond under trial conditions. In this report, we present the first results from simultaneous bilateral DBS of the DRT (dentato-rubro-thalamic tract) and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in two elderly patients with EQT and TD IPS and dopamine-refractory tremor. METHODS: Two patients received bilateral octopolar DBS electrodes in the STN additionally traversing the DRT region. Achieved electrode positions were determined with helical CT, overlaid onto DTI tractography data, and compared with clinical data of stimulation response. RESULTS: Both patients showed immediate and sustained improvement of their tremor, bilaterally. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed approach appears to be safe and feasible and a combined stimulation of the two target regions was performed tailored to the patients' symptoms. Clinically, no neuropsychiatric effects were seen. Our pilot data suggest a viable therapeutic option to treat the subgroup of TD and EQT IPS and with tremor as the predominant symptom. A clinical study to further investigate this approach ( OPINION: www.clinicaltrials.gov ; NCT02288468) is the focus of our ongoing research.

Predictive timing functions of cortical beta oscillations are impaired in Parkinson's disease and influenced by L-DOPA and deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus.

Cortex-basal ganglia circuits participate in motor timing and temporal perception, and are important for the dynamic configuration of sensorimotor networks in response to exogenous demands. In Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) induces motor performance benefits. Hitherto, little is known concerning contributions of the basal ganglia to sensory facilitation and cortical responses to RAS in PD. Therefore, we conducted an EEG study in 12 PD patients before and after surgery for subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) and in 12 age-matched controls. Here we investigated the effects of levodopa and STN-DBS on resting-state EEG and on the cortical-response profile to slow and fast RAS in a passive-listening paradigm focusing on beta-band oscillations, which are important for auditory-motor coupling. The beta-modulation profile to RAS in healthy participants was characterized by local peaks preceding and following auditory stimuli. In PD patients RAS failed to induce pre-stimulus beta increases. The absence of pre-stimulus beta-band modulation may contribute to impaired rhythm perception in PD. Moreover, post-stimulus beta-band responses were highly abnormal during fast RAS in PD patients. Treatment with levodopa and STN-DBS reinstated a post-stimulus beta-modulation profile similar to controls, while STN-DBS reduced beta-band power in the resting-state. The treatment-sensitivity of beta oscillations suggests that STN-DBS may specifically improve timekeeping functions of cortical beta oscillations during fast auditory pacing.