Subthalamic Nucleus Stimulation-Induced Local Field Potential Changes in Dystonia

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Neuromodulation
• Movement Disorders

Background:

• Subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation is effective for Parkinson's disease, inducing local field potential (LFP) changes linked to clinical improvement.
• While STN stimulation is used for dystonia, the internal globus pallidus is the standard target, with theta power suggested as a physiomarker.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if enhanced theta power is present in the STN in dystonia patients.
• To determine if STN stimulation induces spectral changes in dystonia similar to those observed in Parkinson's disease.

Main Methods:

• Local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded from 7 patients with isolated craniocervical dystonia.
• Electrodes were positioned to cover the STN, zona incerta, and thalamus.

Main Results:

• Prominent theta power was not observed in the STN at rest.
• STN stimulation induced spectral changes in dystonia, including power suppression, evoked resonant neural activity (ERNA), gamma oscillations, and increased aperiodic exponents.
• Power suppression and ERNA were localized to the STN, with evoked activities relayed to the zona incerta and thalamus.

Conclusions:

• STN stimulation-induced spectral changes are a non-disease-specific response to high-frequency stimulation.
• These spectral changes can serve as reliable placement markers for STN electrodes.
• This finding expands the potential applications of STN stimulation for disorders with excessive STN oscillatory activity.