Open AccessSubthalamic Nucleus Activity Influences Sensory and Motor Cortex during Force Transduction
Author(s) -
Ahmad Alhourani,
Anna Korzeniewska,
Thomas A. Wozny,
Witold Lipski,
Efstathios Kondylis,
Avniel Singh Ghuman,
Nathan E. Crone,
Donald J. Crammond,
Robert S. Turner,
R. Mark Richardson
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
cerebral cortex
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.694
H-Index - 250
eISSN - 1460-2199
pISSN - 1047-3211
DOI - 10.1093/cercor/bhz264
Subject(s) - subthalamic nucleus , neuroscience , somatosensory system , primary motor cortex , deep brain stimulation , motor cortex , psychology , context (archaeology) , sensory system , beta rhythm , electroencephalography , parkinson's disease , stimulation , biology , medicine , paleontology , disease
The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is proposed to participate in pausing, or alternately, in dynamic scaling of behavioral responses, roles that have conflicting implications for understanding STN function in the context of deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy. To examine the nature of event-related STN activity and subthalamic-cortical dynamics, we performed primary motor and somatosensory electrocorticography while subjects (n = 10) performed a grip force task during DBS implantation surgery. Phase-locking analyses demonstrated periods of STN-cortical coherence that bracketed force transduction, in both beta and gamma ranges. Event-related causality measures demonstrated that both STN beta and gamma activity predicted motor cortical beta and gamma activity not only during force generation but also prior to movement onset. These findings are consistent with the idea that the STN participates in motor planning, in addition to the modulation of ongoing movement. We also demonstrated bidirectional information flow between the STN and somatosensory cortex in both beta and gamma range frequencies, suggesting robust STN participation in somatosensory integration. In fact, interactions in beta activity between the STN and somatosensory cortex, and not between STN and motor cortex, predicted PD symptom severity. Thus, the STN contributes to multiple aspects of sensorimotor behavior dynamically across time.