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Subcortical neuronal ensembles: an analysis of motor task association, tremor, oscillations, and synchrony in human patients.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Hanson, TL; Fuller, AM; Lebedev, MA; Turner, DA; Nicolelis, MAL
Published in: J Neurosci
June 20, 2012

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has expanded as an effective treatment for motor disorders, providing a valuable opportunity for intraoperative recording of the spiking activity of subcortical neurons. The properties of these neurons and their potential utility in neuroprosthetic applications are not completely understood. During DBS surgeries in 25 human patients with either essential tremor or Parkinson's disease, we acutely recorded the single-unit activity of 274 ventral intermediate/ventral oralis posterior motor thalamus (Vim/Vop) neurons and 123 subthalamic nucleus (STN) neurons. These subcortical neuronal ensembles (up to 23 neurons sampled simultaneously) were recorded while the patients performed a target-tracking motor task using a cursor controlled by a haptic glove. We observed that modulations in firing rate of a substantial number of neurons in both Vim/Vop and STN represented target onset, movement onset/direction, and hand tremor. Neurons in both areas exhibited rhythmic oscillations and pairwise synchrony. Notably, all tremor-associated neurons exhibited synchrony within the ensemble. The data further indicate that oscillatory (likely pathological) neurons and behaviorally tuned neurons are not distinct but rather form overlapping sets. Whereas previous studies have reported a linear relationship between power spectra of neuronal oscillations and hand tremor, we report a nonlinear relationship suggestive of complex encoding schemes. Even in the presence of this pathological activity, linear models were able to extract motor parameters from ensemble discharges. Based on these findings, we propose that chronic multielectrode recordings from Vim/Vop and STN could prove useful for further studying, monitoring, and even treating motor disorders.

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Published In

J Neurosci

DOI

EISSN

1529-2401

Publication Date

June 20, 2012

Volume

32

Issue

25

Start / End Page

8620 / 8632

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Tremor
  • Thalamus
  • Subthalamic Nucleus
  • Psychomotor Performance
  • Parkinson Disease
  • Neurons
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Nerve Net
  • Movement
  • Male
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
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Hanson, T. L., Fuller, A. M., Lebedev, M. A., Turner, D. A., & Nicolelis, M. A. L. (2012). Subcortical neuronal ensembles: an analysis of motor task association, tremor, oscillations, and synchrony in human patients. J Neurosci, 32(25), 8620–8632. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0750-12.2012
Hanson, Timothy L., Andrew M. Fuller, Mikhail A. Lebedev, Dennis A. Turner, and Miguel A. L. Nicolelis. “Subcortical neuronal ensembles: an analysis of motor task association, tremor, oscillations, and synchrony in human patients.J Neurosci 32, no. 25 (June 20, 2012): 8620–32. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0750-12.2012.
Hanson TL, Fuller AM, Lebedev MA, Turner DA, Nicolelis MAL. Subcortical neuronal ensembles: an analysis of motor task association, tremor, oscillations, and synchrony in human patients. J Neurosci. 2012 Jun 20;32(25):8620–32.
Hanson, Timothy L., et al. “Subcortical neuronal ensembles: an analysis of motor task association, tremor, oscillations, and synchrony in human patients.J Neurosci, vol. 32, no. 25, June 2012, pp. 8620–32. Pubmed, doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0750-12.2012.
Hanson TL, Fuller AM, Lebedev MA, Turner DA, Nicolelis MAL. Subcortical neuronal ensembles: an analysis of motor task association, tremor, oscillations, and synchrony in human patients. J Neurosci. 2012 Jun 20;32(25):8620–8632.

Published In

J Neurosci

DOI

EISSN

1529-2401

Publication Date

June 20, 2012

Volume

32

Issue

25

Start / End Page

8620 / 8632

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Tremor
  • Thalamus
  • Subthalamic Nucleus
  • Psychomotor Performance
  • Parkinson Disease
  • Neurons
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Nerve Net
  • Movement
  • Male