Work

Beta burst characteristics and coupling within the sensorimotor cortical-subthalamic nucleus circuit in Parkinson’s disease

Year: 2024

Type: preprint

Abstract: Background Bursts of exaggerated subthalamic nucleus (STN) beta activity contribute to clinical impairments in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Few studies have explored the characteristics and coupling of bursts across the sensorimotor cortical-STN circuit. Objective We sought to (1) establish the characteristics of sensorimotor cortical and STN bursts during naturalistic behaviours, and (2) determine the predictability of STN bursts from motor cortical recordings. Methods We analysed 1,478 hours of wirelessly streamed bilateral sensorimotor cortical and STN recordings from 5 PD patients. Results STN bursts were longer than cortical bursts and had shorter inter-burst intervals. Long bursts (>200ms) in both structures displayed temporal overlap (>30%), with an estimated cortico-STN conduction delay of 8ms. Furthermore, approximately 27% of all STN bursts were preceded by a cortical burst. Conclusion Cortical beta bursts tend to precede STN beta bursts, with short delays. However, subcortical mechanisms are also likely to contribute to STN burst initiation and propagation.

Source: bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

DOI: 10.1101/2024.11.19.624397