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Push-pull effects of basal ganglia network in Parkinson's disease inferred by functional MRI

Yuxin Wang1, Zhiqi Jiang1, Chunguang Chu2,3

  • 1School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.

NPJ Parkinson'S Disease
|November 20, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD) works by adjusting neural network activity. DBS enhances beneficial brain pathways and reduces detrimental ones, improving motor symptoms like rigidity and bradykinesia.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Computational Biology
  • Medical Physics

Background:

  • Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms are treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS), but its precise mechanism is not fully understood.
  • Understanding the neural circuitry affected by DBS is crucial for optimizing PD treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanism of subthalamic DBS in Parkinson's disease by constructing a multi-scale brain model.
  • To investigate the "push-pull" effect within the basal ganglia network and its relation to PD symptoms and DBS treatment.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized fMRI data from 27 Parkinson's disease patients undergoing subthalamic DBS and 30 healthy controls.
  • Developed a multi-scale brain model to fit microscopic coupling parameters in the cortico-basal ganglia-thalamic neural loop.
  • Correlated model parameters with individual brain connectivity and clinical symptoms.

Main Results:

  • Identified a "push-pull" effect in the basal ganglia network, where specific GABAergic projections influence rigidity and bradykinesia.
  • Dopamine deficiency in PD was linked to altered coupling variations, "pushing" the network into an abnormal state.
  • Subthalamic DBS was shown to alleviate rigidity by enhancing basal ganglia GABAergic projections and improve bradykinesia by reducing cortical projections.

Conclusions:

  • DBS treatment for Parkinson's disease acts by "pulling" the neural network towards a healthy state.
  • This study integrates microscopic and macroscopic neural information to advance the understanding of PD pathophysiology and DBS.
  • The findings provide a mechanistic basis for DBS efficacy in ameliorating PD motor symptoms.

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