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Updated: May 30, 2025
Controlling Parkinson's Disease With Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation
Published on: July 16, 2014
Alpha and high beta subthalamic intermittent activity correlates with freezing of gait severity in Parkinson's
Arnaldo Fim Neto1, Fabio Godinho2, Luiz Ricardo Trajano da Silva3
1Center of Engineering, Modeling and Applied Social Sciences, Federal University of ABC (UFABC), São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil; Brazilian Institute of Neuroscience and Neurotechnology, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil; Samsung R&D Institute Brazil (SRBR), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil.
Introduction:
Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling symptom that affects over half of Parkinson's disease patients (PD) and hinders the ability to walk. Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) effectiveness in ameliorating the FOG remains controversial, lacking a reliable electrophysiological biomarker from local field potentials (LFP).
Methods:
The LFP-STN rhythms bandpower and dynamics were characterized at rest across groups in a cohort of 23 patients (14 with FOG, and 9 without, n-FOG).
Results:
FOG patients presented enhanced alpha bandpower (FOG vs. n-FOG: 0.331 ± 0.087 vs. 0.248 ± 0.089; p = 0.011) and intermittent (burst) alpha amplitude (FOG vs. n-FOG: 0.610 ± 0.068 vs. 0.524 ± 0.086; p = 0.005). Both intermittent alpha (r = 0.330, p = 0.046) and intermittent high beta amplitude (r = 0.415, p = 0.011) correlated with the FOG score. Alpha burst amplitude correlated with FOG severity (r = 0.479, p = 0.003), and high beta burst amplitude inversely correlated (r = -0.411, p = 0.014) with the performance-oriented mobility assessment (POMA) index.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that alpha and high beta subthalamic oscillations impact FOG symptoms.
Significance:
The investigation suggests potentially newer co-biomarkers of FOG to guide multi-rhythm paradigms in DBS treatment.
