High frequency (HF) Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in the Sub-Thalamic Nucleus (STN) is a clinically recognized therapy for the treatment of motor disorders in Parkinson Disease (PD). The underlying mechanisms of DBS and how it impacts neighboring nuclei, however, are not yet completely understood. Electrophysiological data has been collected in PD patients and primates to better understand the impact of DBS on STN and the entire Basal Ganglia (BG) motor circuit. We use single unit recordings from Globus Pallidus, both pars interna and externa segments (GPi and GPe) in the BG, in a normal primate before and after DBS to reconstruct Local Field Potentials (LFPs) in the region. We then use system identification techniques to understand how GPe LFP activity and the DBS signal applied to STN influence GPi LFP activity. Our models suggest that when no stimulation is applied, the GPe LFPs have an inhibitory effect on GPi LFPs with a 2-3 ms delay, as is the case for single unit neuronal activity. On the other hand, when DBS is ON the models suggest that stimulation has a dominant effect on GPi LFPs which mask the inhibitory effects of GPe.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a highly promising therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, most patients do not get full therapeutic benefit from DBS, due to its critical dependence on electrode location in the Subthalamic Nucleus (STN). For this reason, we believe that the development of a novel surgical tool for DBS placement, i.e., an automated intraoperative closed-loop DBS localization system, is essential. In this paper, we analyze single unit spiking activity of 120 neurons in different STN locations collected from 4 PD patients. Specifically, for each neuron, we estimate a point process model (PPM) of the spiking activity for different depths within the STN by which we are able to detect pathological bursting and oscillations. Our results suggest that these signatures are more prominent in the dorsolateral part of the STN. Therefore, accurately placing the DBS electrode in this target may result in maximal therapeutic benefit with less power effort required by DBS. Furthermore, PPMs might be an effective tool for modeling of the STN neuronal activities as a function of location within the STN, which may pave the way towards developing a closed-loop navigation tool for optimal DBS electrode placement.
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