Modeling neural spiking activity in the sub-thalamic nucleus of Parkinson's patients and healthy primate

Sridevi Sarma, Ming Cheng, Rollin Hu, Ziv Williams, Emery Brown, Emad Eskandar

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

How neurons in humans encode information about the outside world and how this processing changes when the brain is diseased are central questions in neuroscience and medicine. Historically, microelectrode recordings of single-unit neuronal activity have been confined to animal preparations. Recently, it has become possible to obtain single-unit recordings in humans undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery. In this study, we recorded neuronal activity from the sub-thalamic nucleus (STN) of the basal ganglia of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In parallel, identical experiments were conducted on a healthy primate, providing a rare opportunity to analyze STN neuronal activity recorded in both the disease and healthy state during the same behavioral tasks. We developed point process models of STN neurons to capture neural spiking dynamics as a function of extrinsic stimuli and the neuron's own spiking history. Our models quantify, for the first time, pathological signatures in PD neural activity such as bursting, 10-30Hz oscillations, and loss of directional plurality, which may directly relate to motor disorders observed in PD patients such as bradykinesia, resting tremor, and rigidity.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 17th World Congress, International Federation of Automatic Control, IFAC
Edition1 PART 1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2008
Externally publishedYes
Event17th World Congress, International Federation of Automatic Control, IFAC - Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Duration: Jul 6 2008Jul 11 2008

Publication series

NameIFAC Proceedings Volumes (IFAC-PapersOnline)
Number1 PART 1
Volume17
ISSN (Print)1474-6670

Other

Other17th World Congress, International Federation of Automatic Control, IFAC
Country/TerritoryKorea, Republic of
CitySeoul
Period7/6/087/11/08

Keywords

  • Biosignals analysis and interpretation
  • Model formulation, experiment design
  • Quantification of physiological parameters for diagnosis and treatment assessment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Control and Systems Engineering

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