Spectral Topography of the Subthalamic Nucleus to Inform Next-Generation Deep Brain Stimulation

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Movement Disorders

Background:

• Understanding neurophysiological symptoms and behavioral biomarkers in basal ganglia signals is crucial for movement disorders.
• The clinical application of sensing-based deep brain stimulation (DBS) necessitates a detailed understanding of spectral biomarker organization within the subthalamic nucleus (STN).

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically investigate the spectral topography of STN local field potentials (LFPs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients across various sub-bands.
• To evaluate the predictive performance of these spectral biomarkers for clinical response to DBS.

Main Methods:

• Recorded STN-LFPs from 70 PD patients (130 hemispheres) using multicontact DBS electrodes.
• Performed spatial characterization of multiple sub-bands (delta to fast gamma and high-frequency oscillations) and compared them to the clinical hot spot for rigidity response.
• Established a spectral biomarker map to predict DBS clinical response.

Main Results:

• STN exhibits heterogeneous topographic distribution of spectral biomarkers, primarily segregated along the inferior-superior axis.
• High-frequency oscillations (HFOs) were localized more inferiorly compared to the superiorly located beta hot spot.
• Proximity to the beta hot spot and distance from higher-frequency hot spots predicted optimal rigidity response to DBS.

Conclusions:

• The spatial segregation and characteristics of spectral biomarkers within the STN are informative for developing next-generation sensing-based DBS.
• This research contributes to optimizing DBS targeting and personalized treatment strategies for movement disorders.