Microscale electrophysiological functional connectivity in human cortico-basal ganglia network

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Systems Neuroscience
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• The cortico-basal ganglia network is implicated in motor control and Parkinson's disease (PD).
• Understanding functional connectivity within this network is key to developing effective treatments like deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate electrophysiological relationships in the cortico-basal ganglia network on a sub-centimeter scale.
• To enhance understanding of neural functional relationships in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Main Methods:

• Intraoperative recording of subthalamic nucleus (STN) microelectrode data and motor association cortex electrocorticography (ECoG) grids during bilateral deep brain stimulation (DBS).
• Defining functional connectivity between STN neuron action potentials (APs) and local field potentials (LFPs) based on non-overlapping confidence intervals.

Main Results:

• Functional connectivity was observed between STN neuron APs and STN LFP in 18/46 neurons.
• Functional connectivity was found between STN neuron APs and cortical LFP in 25/46 neurons.
• Cortical patterns of electrophysiological functional connectivity varied individually for each neuron.

Conclusions:

• A subset of STN neurons exhibit functional connectivity with both STN and distant motor association cortex activity.
• These connections demonstrate a differential topography on the cortex for each neuron.
• The cortico-basal ganglia circuit's sub-centimeter organization is significant for PD mechanisms and DBS efficacy.