Subthalamic nucleus (STN) has been known to play an important role in the regulation of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical loop. STN neurons have pacemaking activitiy and their firing pattern can switch from spike mode to bursting mode when membrane potential becomes hyperpolarized. Recent study has shown that STN neurons show marked increase in burst and oscillatory activity during the dop...

Cortical afferences (e.g., primary motor cortex M1, and supplementary motor area SMA) are believed to play a role in the generation of abnormal oscillatory activity in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Using a computational model, we investigate how cortical inputs impact STN activity during deep brain stimulation (DBS). When cortical input to the STN is constant, high-...

BACKGROUND Subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation has been recognized to control resting tremor in Parkinson disease. Similarly, thalamic stimulation (ventral intermediate nucleus; VIM) has shown tremor control in Parkinson disease, essential, and intention tremors. Recently, stimulation of the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) has been associated with excellent tremor control. Thus, the optimal ...

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is hypothesized to play a central role in the rapid stopping of movement in reaction to a stop signal. Single-unit recording evidence for such a role is sparse, however, and it remains uncertain how that role relates to the disparate functions described for anatomic subdivisions of the STN. Here we address that gap in knowledge using non-human primates and a task t...

Multiple studies have shown bilateral improvement in motor symptoms in Parkinson disease (PD) following unilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and internal segment of the globus pallidus, yet the mechanism(s) underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. We hypothesized that STN neuronal activity is altered by contralateral STN DBS. This hypothesis was test...

The two principal movement-suppressing pathways of the basal ganglia, the so-called hyperdirect and indirect pathways, interact within the subthalamic nucleus (STN). An appropriate level and pattern of hyperdirect pathway cortical excitation and indirect pathway external globus pallidus (GPe) inhibition of the STN are critical for normal movement and are greatly perturbed in Parkinson's disease...

Adam Zaidel Midbrain dopaminergic neurons and their projections to the basal ganglia (BG) degenerate in Parkinson's disease (PD), leading to a cascade of physiological abnormalities in the BG. Primary studies on the primate and rodent models of PD have demonstrated changes in firing rates, increased synchrony and exaggerated oscillations in the Parkinsonian BG particularly in the subthalamic nu...

Recent studies have implicated the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in decisions that involve inhibiting movements. Many of the decisions that we make in our daily lives, however, do not involve any motor actions. We studied non-motor decision making by recording intraoperative STN and prefrontal cortex (PFC) electrophysiology as participants perform a novel task that required them to decide whether t...

The subthalamic nucleus (STN), a major component of the basal ganglia, exerts an excitatory influence on the output structures of this system i.e., the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNR) and the internal segment of the globus pallidus. High-frequency stimulation of the STN is a method currently used to treat parkinsonian symptoms. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of S...

The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (a.o.: tremor, rigidity) can be suppressed by electrical stimulation of the basal ganglia [1]. The most common target nucleus of this so called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Good clinical results are obtained by the application of pulses of 200 μs, 1-3 V amplitude at a constant rate of about 130 Hz. However, the mechanism(s) r...