Elsevier

NeuroImage: Clinical

Volume 9, 2015, Pages 436-449
NeuroImage: Clinical

Predictive timing functions of cortical beta oscillations are impaired in Parkinson's disease and influenced by L-DOPA and deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleusImpaired beta-band timing functions in PD

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2015.09.013Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • High density EEG investigation in patients with PD before and after STN-DBS surgery

  • Resting state EEG: altered spectral composition following STN-DBS

  • Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS): absence of pre-stimulus beta activity in PD

  • Fast RAS: normalization of beta (13–30 Hz) activities by L-DOPA and STN-DBS

  • Altered beta modulation profile may contribute to timekeeping deficits in PD.

Abstract

Cortex-basal ganglia circuits participate in motor timing and temporal perception, and are important for the dynamic configuration of sensorimotor networks in response to exogenous demands. In Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) induces motor performance benefits. Hitherto, little is known concerning contributions of the basal ganglia to sensory facilitation and cortical responses to RAS in PD. Therefore, we conducted an EEG study in 12 PD patients before and after surgery for subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) and in 12 age-matched controls. Here we investigated the effects of levodopa and STN-DBS on resting-state EEG and on the cortical-response profile to slow and fast RAS in a passive-listening paradigm focusing on beta-band oscillations, which are important for auditory–motor coupling. The beta-modulation profile to RAS in healthy participants was characterized by local peaks preceding and following auditory stimuli. In PD patients RAS failed to induce pre-stimulus beta increases. The absence of pre-stimulus beta-band modulation may contribute to impaired rhythm perception in PD. Moreover, post-stimulus beta-band responses were highly abnormal during fast RAS in PD patients. Treatment with levodopa and STN-DBS reinstated a post-stimulus beta-modulation profile similar to controls, while STN-DBS reduced beta-band power in the resting-state. The treatment-sensitivity of beta oscillations suggests that STN-DBS may specifically improve timekeeping functions of cortical beta oscillations during fast auditory pacing.

Keywords

Parkinson's disease
Interval timing
Beta oscillations
Subthalamic nucleus
Deep brain stimulation

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