scholarly journals Subthalamic Nucleus Neurons Differentially Encode Early and Late Aspects of Speech Production

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
WJ Lipski ◽  
A Alhourani ◽  
T Pirnia ◽  
PW Jones ◽  
C Dastolfo-Hromack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Firing Rate ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Dependent Inhibition ◽  
Subthalamic Neurons ◽  
Intracranial Recording ◽  
Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery

ABSTRACTBasal ganglia-thalamocortical loops mediate all motor behavior, yet little detail is known about the role of basal ganglia nuclei in speech production. Using intracranial recording during deep brain stimulation surgery, we tested the hypothesis that the firing rate of subthalamic nucleus neurons is modulated in response to both planning and motor execution aspects of speech. Nearly half of 79 recorded units exhibited firing rate modulation, during a syllable reading task administered in 12 subjects. Trial-to-trial timing of changes in subthalamic neuronal activity, relative to cue onset versus production onset, revealed that locking to cue presentation was associated more with units that decreased firing rate, while locking to speech onset was associated more with units that increased firing rate. These uniquely acquired data indicate that subthalamic activity is dynamic during the production of speech, reflecting temporally-dependent inhibition and excitation of separate populations of subthalamic neurons.

scholarly journals The Subthalamic Nucleus: Unravelling New Roles and Mechanisms in the Control of Action

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tora Bonnevie ◽  
Kareem A. Zaghloul
Keyword(s):  
Deep Brain Stimulation ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Action Control ◽  
Brain Disorders ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
High Level ◽  
Deep Brain

How do we decide what we do? This is the essence of action control, the process of selecting the most appropriate response among multiple possible choices. Suboptimal action control can involve a failure to initiate or adapt actions, or conversely it can involve making actions impulsively. There has been an increasing focus on the specific role of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in action control. This has been fueled by the clinical relevance of this basal ganglia nucleus as a target for deep brain stimulation (DBS), primarily in Parkinson’s disease but also in obsessive-compulsive disorder. The context of DBS has opened windows to study STN function in ways that link neuroscientific and clinical fields closely together, contributing to an exceptionally high level of two-way translation. In this review, we first outline the role of the STN in both motor and nonmotor action control, and then discuss how these functions might be implemented by neuronal activity in the STN. Gaining a better understanding of these topics will not only provide important insights into the neurophysiology of action control but also the pathophysiological mechanisms relevant for several brain disorders and their therapies.

scholarly journals Slow Spike Frequency Adaptation in Neurons of the Rat Subthalamic Nucleus

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (6) ◽  
pp. 3689-3697 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Barraza ◽  
Hitoshi Kita ◽  
Charles J. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Firing Rate ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Similar Rate ◽  
Excitatory Input ◽  
Spike Frequency ◽  
Spike Frequency Adaptation ◽  
Frequency Adaptation ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Subthalamic Neurons

Neurons of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) are very sensitive to applied currents, firing at 10–20/s during spontaneous activity, but increasing to peak firing rates of 200/s with applied currents <0.5 nA. They receive a powerful tonic excitatory input from neurons in the cerebral cortex, yet in vivo maintain an irregular firing rate only slightly higher than the autonomous firing rate seen in slices. Spike frequency adaptation acts to normalize background firing rate by removing slow trends in firing due to changes in average input. Subthalamic neurons have been previously described as showing little spike frequency adaptation, but this was based on tests using brief stimuli. We applied long-duration depolarizing current steps to STN neurons in slices and observed a very strong spike frequency adaptation with a time constant of 20 s and that recovered at a similar rate. This adaptation could return firing to near-baseline levels during prolonged current pulses that transiently drove the cells at high rates. The current responsible for adaptation was studied in voltage clamp during and after high-frequency driving of the cell and was determined to be a slowly accumulating K+ current. This current was independent of calcium or sodium entry and could be induced with long-duration voltage steps after blockade of action potentials. In addition to the adaptation current, driven firing produced slow inactivation of the persistent Na+ current, which also contributed to the reduced excitability of STN cells during and after driven firing.

scholarly journals Basal ganglia and cerebellar contributions to vocal emotion processing: a high resolution fMRI study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Ceravolo ◽  
Sascha Frühholz ◽  
Jordan Pierce ◽  
Didier Grandjean ◽  
Julie Péron
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Globus Pallidus ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Effective Connectivity ◽  
Emotion Processing ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Vocal Emotion

AbstractUntil recently, brain networks underlying emotional voice prosody decoding and processing were focused on modulations in primary and secondary auditory, ventral frontal and prefrontal cortices, and the amygdala. Growing interest for a specific role of the basal ganglia and cerebellum was recently brought into the spotlight. In the present study, we aimed at characterizing the role of such subcortical brain regions in vocal emotion processing, at the level of both brain activation and functional and effective connectivity, using high resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging. Variance explained by low-level acoustic parameters (fundamental frequency, voice energy) was also modelled. Wholebrain data revealed expected contributions of the temporal and frontal cortices, basal ganglia and cerebellum to vocal emotion processing, while functional connectivity analyses highlighted correlations between basal ganglia and cerebellum, especially for angry voices. Seed-to-seed and seed-to-voxel effective connectivity revealed direct connections within the basal ganglia ̶ especially between the putamen and external globus pallidus ̶ and between the subthalamic nucleus and the cerebellum. Our results speak in favour of crucial contributions of the basal ganglia, especially the putamen, external globus pallidus and subthalamic nucleus, and several cerebellar lobules and nuclei for an efficient decoding of and response to vocal emotions.

Understanding Parkinsonian Handwriting Through a Computational Model of Basal Ganglia

2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 2491-2525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Garipelli Gangadhar ◽  
Denny Joseph ◽  
V. Srinivasa Chakravarthy
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Computational Model ◽  
Globus Pallidus ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Line Contour ◽  
Velocity Fluctuations ◽  
Signaling Model ◽  
Tip Velocity ◽  
Handwriting Generation

Handwriting in Parkinson's disease (PD) is typically characterized by micrographia, jagged line contour, and unusual fluctuations in pen tip velocity. Although PD handwriting features have been used for diagnostics, they are not based on a signaling model of basal ganglia (BG). In this letter, we present a computational model of handwriting generation that highlights the role of BG. When PD conditions like reduced dopamine and altered dynamics of the subthalamic nucleus and globus pallidus externa subsystems are simulated, the handwriting produced by the model manifested characteristic PD handwriting distortions like micrographia and velocity fluctuations. Our approach to PD modeling is in tune with the perspective that PD is a dynamic disease.

scholarly journals Deep Brain Stimulation Does Not Silence Neurons in Subthalamic Nucleus in Parkinson's Patients

2010 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 962-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan D. Carlson ◽  
Daniel R. Cleary ◽  
Justin S. Cetas ◽  
Mary M. Heinricher ◽  
Kim J. Burchiel
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Deep Brain Stimulation ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Firing Rate ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Stimulation Parameters ◽  
Deep Brain

Two broad hypotheses have been advanced to explain the clinical efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) for treatment of Parkinson's disease. One is that stimulation inactivates STN neurons, producing a functional lesion. The other is that electrical stimulation activates the STN output, thus “jamming” pathological activity in basal ganglia-corticothalamic circuits. Evidence consistent with both concepts has been adduced from modeling and animal studies, as well as from recordings in patients. However, the stimulation parameters used in many recording studies have not been well matched to those used clinically. In this study, we recorded STN activity in patients with Parkinson's disease during stimulation delivered through a clinical DBS electrode using standard therapeutic stimulus parameters. A microelectrode was used to record the firing of a single STN neuron during DBS (3–5 V, 80–200 Hz, 90- to 200-μs pulses; 33 neurons/11 patients). Firing rate was unchanged during the stimulus trains, and the recorded neurons did not show prolonged (s) changes in firing rate on termination of the stimulation. However, a brief (∼1 ms), short-latency (6 ms) postpulse inhibition was seen in 10 of 14 neurons analyzed. A subset of neurons displayed altered firing patterns, with a predominant shift toward random firing. These data do not support the idea that DBS inactivates the STN and are instead more consistent with the hypothesis that this stimulation provides a null signal to basal ganglia-corticothalamic circuitry that has been altered as part of Parkinson's disease.

Role of Ionotropic Glutamatergic and GABAergic Inputs on the Firing Activity of Neurons in the External Pallidum in Awake Monkeys

2004 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 3069-3084 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kita ◽  
A. Nambu ◽  
K. Kaneda ◽  
Y. Tachibana ◽  
M. Takada
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Nmda Antagonist ◽  
Spontaneous Firing ◽  
Firing Activity ◽  
Combined Application ◽  
Local Injections ◽  
High Level ◽  
Spontaneous Firing Rate

The neurons in the external segment of the pallidum (GPe) in awake animals maintain a high level of firing activity. The level and pattern of the activity change with the development of basal ganglia disorders including parkinsonism and hemiballism. The GPe projects to most of the nuclei in the basal ganglia. Thus exploring the mechanisms controlling the firing activity is essential for understanding basal ganglia function in normal and pathological conditions. To explore the role of ionotropic glutamatergic and GABAergic inputs to the GPe, unit recordings combined with local injections of receptor antagonists were performed in awake monkeys. Observations on the effects of local application of the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA)/kainate antagonist 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-nitro-2, 3-dioxo-benzo[f]quinoxaline-7-sulfonamide, the N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) antagonist 3-(2-carboxypiperazin-4-yl)-propyl-1-phosphonic acid, and the GABAA antagonist gabazine as well as the effects of muscimol blockade of the subthalamic nucleus on the spontaneous firing rate, firing patterns, and cortical stimulation induced responses in the GPe suggested the following: sustained glutamatergic and GABAergic inputs control the level of the spontaneous firing of GPe neurons; both AMPA/kainate and NMDA receptors are activated by glutamatergic inputs; some GPe neurons receive glutamatergic inputs originating from areas other than the subthalamic nucleus; no GPe neurons became silent after a combined application of glutamate and GABA antagonists, suggesting that GPe neurons have intrinsic properties or nonionotropic glutamatergic tonic inputs that sustain a fast oscillatory firing or a combination of a fast and a slow oscillatory firing in GPe neurons.

scholarly journals Predictive encoding of motor behavior in the supplementary motor area is disrupted in parkinsonism

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (3) ◽  
pp. 1247-1255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia M. Hendrix ◽  
Brett A. Campbell ◽  
Benjamin J. Tittle ◽  
Luke A. Johnson ◽  
Kenneth B. Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Movement Planning ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Reaching Task ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Trial Basis

Many studies suggest that Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with changes in neuronal activity patterns throughout the basal ganglia-thalamocortical motor circuit. There are limited electrophysiological data, however, describing how parkinsonism impacts the presupplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and SMA proper (SMAp), cortical areas known to be involved in movement planning and motor control. In this study, local field potentials (LFPs) were recorded in the pre-SMA/SMAp of a nonhuman primate during a visually cued reaching task. Recordings were made in the same subject in both the naive and parkinsonian state using the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine model of parkinsonism. We found that in the naive animal, well before a go-cue providing instruction of reach onset and direction was given, LFP activity was dynamically modulated in both high (20–30 Hz) and low beta (10–20 Hz) bands, and the magnitude of this modulation (e.g., decrease/increase in beta amplitude for each band, respectively) correlated linearly with reaction time (RT) on a trial-to-trial basis, suggesting it may predictively encode for RT. Consistent with this hypothesis, we observed that this activity was more prominent within the pre-SMA compared with SMAp. In the parkinsonian state, however, pre-SMA/SMAp beta band modulation was disrupted, particularly in the high beta band, such that the predictive encoding of RT was significantly diminished. In addition, the predictive encoding of RT preferentially within pre-SMA over SMAp was lost. These findings add to our understanding of the role of pre-SMA/SMAp in motor behavior and suggest a fundamental role of these cortical areas in early preparatory and premovement processes that are altered in parkinsonism. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Goal-directed movements, such as reaching for an object, necessitate temporal preparation and organization of information processing within the basal ganglia-thalamocortical motor network. Impaired movement in parkinsonism is thought to be the result of pathophysiological activity disrupting information flow within this network. This work provides neurophysiological evidence linking altered motor preplanning processes encoded in pre-SMA/SMAp beta band modulation to the pathogenesis of motor disturbances in parkinsonism.

scholarly journals Normal Changes in the Speech of Older Adults: You've still got what it takes; it just takes a little longer!

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia R. Hooper ◽  
Ann Cralidis
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Structure And Function ◽  
Conversational Speech ◽  
Production Processes ◽  
And Function ◽  
Speech Motor

Abstract The authors reviewed the changes in speech production as a result of aging, including changes in structure and function as well as changes in motor control for speech. The following speech production processes in normal or typical aging were reviewed: breathing for speech, phonation, resonation, articulation, and fluency. Different theories of the role of motor control were reviewed, including more recent conclusions that cognition influences speech motor behavior throughout the lifespan. There are many speech changes in the communication of an older adult, but most are adaptive and do not affect good conversational speech.

scholarly journals Optogenetic investigation into the role of the subthalamic nucleus in motor control

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriane Guillaumin ◽  
Gian Pietro Serra ◽  
François Georges ◽  
Åsa Wallén-Mackenzie
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Experimental Evidence ◽  
Subthalamic Nucleus ◽  
Motor Coordination ◽  
List Type ◽  
Motor Tasks ◽  
Experimental Support ◽  
Freely Moving

AbstractThe subthalamic nucleus is important achieve intended movements. Loss of its normal function is strongly associated with several movement disorders. Classical basal ganglia models postulate that two parallel pathways, the direct and indirect pathways, exert opposing control over movement, with the subthalamic nucleus part of the indirect pathway through which competing motor programs are prevented. The subthalamic nucleus is regulated by both inhibitory and excitatory projections but experimental evidence for its role in motor control has remained sparse. The objective here was to tease out the selective impact of the subthalamic nucleus on several motor parameters required to achieve intended movement, including locomotion, balance and motor coordination. Optogenetic excitation and inhibition using both bilateral and unilateral stimulations of the subthalamic nucleus were implemented in freely-moving mice. The results demonstrate that selective optogenetic inhibition of the subthalamic nucleus enhances locomotion while its excitation reduces locomotion. These findings lend experimental support to basal ganglia models in terms of locomotion. However, further analysis of subthalamic nucleus excitation revealed grooming and disturbed gait. Selective excitation also caused reduced motor coordination, independent of grooming, in advanced motor tasks. This study contributes experimental evidence for a regulatory role of the subthalamic nucleus in motor control.HighlightsBilateral optogenetic excitation of the subthalamic nucleus in freely-moving mice reduces forward locomotion while optogenetic inhibition leads to its increase.Unilateral optogenetic excitation and inhibition of the subthalamic nucleus cause opposite rotational behavior.Bilateral optogenetic excitation, but not inhibition, of the subthalamic nucleus induces jumping and self-grooming behavior.Engaged in advanced motor tasks, bilateral optogenetic excitation causes mice to lose motor coordination.The results provide experimental support for predictions by the basal ganglia motor model on the role of the subthalamic nucleus in locomotion, and identifies a causal role for the subthalamic nucleus in self-grooming.

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