December 2003
Paul Silberstein, Andrea A. Kühn, Andreas Kupsch, Thomas Trottenberg, Joachim K. Krauss, Johannes C. Wöhrle, Paolo Mazzone, Angelo Insola, Vincenzo Di
Here we test the hypothesis that there are distinct temporal patterns
of synchronized neuronal activity in the pallidum that characterize
untreated and treated parkinsonism and dystonia. To this end
we recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from the caudal
and rostral contact pairs of macroelectrodes implanted into
the pallidum of patients for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease
(12 cases recorded on and off medication, 17 macroelectrodes) and
dystonia (10 cases, 19 macroelectrodes).
Percentage LFP power
in the 11–30 Hz band was decreased and that in the 4–10 Hz
band increased across both contact pairs in treated Parkinson’s
disease compared with untreated Parkinson’s disease.
Dystonic patients had even less 11–30 Hz power and greater
4–10 Hz power compared with untreated or treated Parkinson’s
disease patients. The change in the 4–10Hz band in patients
with dystonia was particularly manifest in the more rostral
contact pair, presumed to be within or bridging the globus
pallidus externus.
We conclude that untreated and treated
Parkinson’s disease and dystonia are characterized by
different spatiotemporal patterns of activity in the human pallidum.
