What neurophysiological recordings tell us about cognitive and behavioral functions of the human subthalamic nucleus

Abstract

The behavioral implications of deep brain stimulation (DBS) observed in Parkinson’s disease patients provided evidence for a possible nonexclusively motor role of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in basal ganglia circuitry. Basal ganglia pathophysiology can be studied directly by the analysis of neural rhythms measured in local field potentials recorded through DBS electrodes. Recent studies demonstrated that specific oscillations in the STN are involved in cognitive and behavioral information processing: action representation is mediated through β oscillations (13–35 Hz); cognitive information related to decision-making processes is mediated through the low-frequency oscillation (5–12 Hz); and limbic and emotional information is mediated through the α oscillation (8–12 Hz). These results revealed an important involvement of STN in decisional processes, cognitive functions, emotion control and conflict that could explain the post-DBS occurrence of behavioral disturbances.

Keywords::

• action understanding
• deep brain stimulation
• emotional processing
• local field potentials
• non-motor functions
• Parkinson’s disease
• social decision-making

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This study was supported by the ERANET-Neuron Grant ‘PhysiolDBS’ (Neuron-48–013), by Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, (Milan, Italy), Università degli Studi di Milano (Italy), Ministero della Sanità (Italy), Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica (Italy). Sara Marceglia and Alberto Priori are stakeholders of Newronika s.r.l., a spin-off company of the Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico of Milan and of the Università degli Studi di Milano. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.