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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Recording Gamma Band Oscillations in Pedunculopontine Nucleus Neurons
Published on: September 14, 2016
Effects of GPi stimulation on human thalamic neuronal activity
1Department of Neurology, National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. montgomery@neurology.wisc.edu <montgomery@neurology.wisc.edu>
Objective:
Determine the effects of globus pallidus interna (GPi) deep brain stimulation (DBS) on ventral oralis posterior nucleus of the thalamic (Vop) neuronal activity.
Methods:
Microelectrode recordings in Vop during high frequency DBS GPi in a patient with dystonia.
Results:
Twelve (48%) of 25 neurons in five locations neurons decreased their average discharge frequency, 2 (8%) increased and 11(44%) demonstrated no overall change. The patterns of responses were complex with periods of increase and decreased activity. All neurons were inhibited for the time period 3.5-5ms following the DBS pulse. Eighty-eight percent of neurons showed brief but highly consistent increases in the first 1ms following stimulation, 52% showed increased activities from 1.5 to 3ms. Twenty-four percent of neurons increased activity following inhibition.
Conclusions:
These findings are consistent with DBS activation of GPi axons to Vop and probable antidromic activation of Vop axons.
Significance:
The physiological effects of DBS are far more complicated and will escape any theory that does not address the mechanisms of DBS as stimulation of a complex network of interactions. Further, the findings of post-inhibitory rebound increased raises questions about the role in inhibition in the current concepts of basal ganglia physiology.