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Errante A, Gerbella M, Mingolla GP, Fogassi L. Activation of Cerebellum, Basal Ganglia and Thalamus During Observation and Execution of Mouth, hand, and foot Actions. Brain Topogr 2023:10.1007/s10548-023-00960-1. [PMID: 37133782 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-00960-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Humans and monkey studies showed that specific sectors of cerebellum and basal ganglia activate not only during execution but also during observation of hand actions. However, it is unknown whether, and how, these structures are engaged during the observation of actions performed by effectors different from the hand. To address this issue, in the present fMRI study, healthy human participants were required to execute or to observe grasping acts performed with different effectors, namely mouth, hand, and foot. As control, participants executed and observed simple movements performed with the same effectors. The results show that: (1) execution of goal-directed actions elicited somatotopically organized activations not only in the cerebral cortex but also in the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and thalamus; (2) action observation evoked cortical, cerebellar and subcortical activations, lacking a clear somatotopic organization; (3) in the territories displaying shared activations between execution and observation, a rough somatotopy could be revealed in both cortical, cerebellar and subcortical structures. The present study confirms previous findings that action observation, beyond the cerebral cortex, also activates specific sectors of cerebellum and subcortical structures and it shows, for the first time, that these latter are engaged not only during hand actions observation but also during the observation of mouth and foot actions. We suggest that each of the activated structures processes specific aspects of the observed action, such as performing internal simulation (cerebellum) or recruiting/inhibiting the overt execution of the observed action (basal ganglia and sensory-motor thalamus).
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonino Errante
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno 39, 43125, Parma, Italy
- Department of Diagnostics, Neuroradiology unit, University Hospital of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy
| | - Marzio Gerbella
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno 39, 43125, Parma, Italy
| | - Gloria P Mingolla
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Piazzale Ludovico Antonio Scuro 10, 37124, Verona, Italy
| | - Leonardo Fogassi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno 39, 43125, Parma, Italy.
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2
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Saalmann YB, Mofakham S, Mikell CB, Djuric PM. Microscale multicircuit brain stimulation: Achieving real-time brain state control for novel applications. CURRENT RESEARCH IN NEUROBIOLOGY 2022; 4:100071. [PMID: 36619175 PMCID: PMC9816916 DOI: 10.1016/j.crneur.2022.100071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurological and psychiatric disorders typically result from dysfunction across multiple neural circuits. Most of these disorders lack a satisfactory neuromodulation treatment. However, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been successful in a limited number of disorders; DBS typically targets one or two brain areas with single contacts on relatively large electrodes, allowing for only coarse modulation of circuit function. Because of the dysfunction in distributed neural circuits - each requiring fine, tailored modulation - that characterizes most neuropsychiatric disorders, this approach holds limited promise. To develop the next generation of neuromodulation therapies, we will have to achieve fine-grained, closed-loop control over multiple neural circuits. Recent work has demonstrated spatial and frequency selectivity using microstimulation with many small, closely-spaced contacts, mimicking endogenous neural dynamics. Using custom electrode design and stimulation parameters, it should be possible to achieve bidirectional control over behavioral outcomes, such as increasing or decreasing arousal during central thalamic stimulation. Here, we discuss one possible approach, which we term microscale multicircuit brain stimulation (MMBS). We discuss how machine learning leverages behavioral and neural data to find optimal stimulation parameters across multiple contacts, to drive the brain towards desired states associated with behavioral goals. We expound a mathematical framework for MMBS, where behavioral and neural responses adjust the model in real-time, allowing us to adjust stimulation in real-time. These technologies will be critical to the development of the next generation of neurostimulation therapies, which will allow us to treat problems like disorders of consciousness and cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri B. Saalmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA,Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA,Corresponding author. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1202 W Johnson St, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
| | - Sima Mofakham
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Charles B. Mikell
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Petar M. Djuric
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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Evidente VGH, Evidente DH, Ponce FA, Evidente MH, Lambert M, Garrett R. Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation May Improve Restless Legs Syndrome in Patients With Essential Tremor. Neuromodulation 2021; 25:911-917. [PMID: 34520594 DOI: 10.1111/ner.13532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To determine change in restless legs syndrome (RLS) symptoms in essential tremor (ET) patients undergoing bilateral thalamic ventral intermedius (VIM) deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed our database of ET patients with RLS who had undergone VIM DBS for tremor from 2012 to 2020. We reviewed the patients with available International Restless Leg Syndrome Study Group RLS scale scores before and after DBS. Percentage of responders, defined as proportion of patients experiencing three or more point improvement of RLS scores post-DBS, was calculated. We performed two-tailed t-test of pre-DBS and post-DBS RLS scores. RESULTS We identified 13 patients with ET and RLS who had undergone bilateral VIM DBS, of whom nine (69%) were responders post-DBS. Five of 13 patients (38%) had complete resolution of RLS post-DBS. For all patients, mean pre-DBS RLS score was 15.8 ± 7.9 which improved by 46% post-DBS to a mean of 8.5 ± 8.8 (p = 0.007). Four patients rated their RLS scale one night with the stimulator OFF and another night with the stimulator ON. The mean RLS score with stimulator ON was 15.5 ± 7.6 which improved by 53% to a mean of 6.25 ± 7.8 (p = 0.008), with two having complete resolution of RLS with stimulator ON. Of the nine responders, six preferred to keep their stimulator ON at night due to relief of RLS and better subjective quality of sleep. CONCLUSIONS We report for the first time improvement of RLS in patients with ET after bilateral thalamic DBS. Although many ET patients with nonrechargeable DBS systems switch off their stimulator at night to conserve battery life, those with RLS may potentially benefit from keeping their stimulator ON at night to relieve their RLS.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Robin Garrett
- Movement Disorders Center of Arizona, Scottsdale, AZ, USA
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4
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Ferreira F, Akram H, Ashburner J, Zrinzo L, Zhang H, Lambert C. Ventralis intermedius nucleus anatomical variability assessment by MRI structural connectivity. Neuroimage 2021; 238:118231. [PMID: 34089871 PMCID: PMC8960999 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The ventralis intermedius nucleus (Vim) is centrally placed in the dentato-thalamo-cortical pathway (DTCp) and is a key surgical target in the treatment of severe medically refractory tremor. It is not visible on conventional MRI sequences; consequently, stereotactic targeting currently relies on atlas-based coordinates. This fails to capture individual anatomical variability, which may lead to poor long-term clinical efficacy. Probabilistic tractography, combined with known anatomical connectivity, enables localisation of thalamic nuclei at an individual subject level. There are, however, a number of confounds associated with this technique that may influence results. Here we focused on an established method, using probabilistic tractography to reconstruct the DTCp, to identify the connectivity-defined Vim (cd-Vim) in vivo. Using 100 healthy individuals from the Human Connectome Project, our aim was to quantify cd-Vim variability across this population, measure the discrepancy with atlas-defined Vim (ad-Vim), and assess the influence of potential methodological confounds. We found no significant effect of any of the confounds. The mean cd-Vim coordinate was located within 1.88 mm (left) and 2.12 mm (right) of the average midpoint and 3.98 mm (left) and 5.41 mm (right) from the ad-Vim coordinates. cd-Vim location was more variable on the right, which reflects hemispheric asymmetries in the probabilistic DTC reconstructed. The method was reproducible, with no significant cd-Vim location differences in a separate test-retest cohort. The superior cerebellar peduncle was identified as a potential source of artificial variance. This work demonstrates significant individual anatomical variability of the cd-Vim that atlas-based coordinate targeting fails to capture. This variability was not related to any methodological confound tested. Lateralisation of cerebellar functions, such as speech, may contribute to the observed asymmetry. Tractography-based methods seem sensitive to individual anatomical variability that is missed by conventional neurosurgical targeting; these findings may form the basis for translational tools to improve efficacy and reduce side-effects of thalamic surgery for tremor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francisca Ferreira
- EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent, Integrated Imaging in Healthcare (i4health), University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom; Functional Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Clinical and Motor Neurosciences, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, United Kingdom; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom.
| | - Harith Akram
- Functional Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Clinical and Motor Neurosciences, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, United Kingdom
| | - John Ashburner
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
| | - Ludvic Zrinzo
- Functional Neurosurgery Unit, Department of Clinical and Motor Neurosciences, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, United Kingdom
| | - Hui Zhang
- EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent, Integrated Imaging in Healthcare (i4health), University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom; Department of Computer Science and Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - Christian Lambert
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, United Kingdom
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Guell X, D'Mello AM, Hubbard NA, Romeo RR, Gabrieli JDE, Whitfield-Gabrieli S, Schmahmann JD, Anteraper SA. Functional Territories of Human Dentate Nucleus. Cereb Cortex 2021; 30:2401-2417. [PMID: 31701117 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Anatomical connections link the cerebellar cortex with multiple sensory, motor, association, and paralimbic cerebral areas. The majority of fibers that exit cerebellar cortex synapse in dentate nuclei (DN) before reaching extracerebellar structures such as cerebral cortex, but the functional neuroanatomy of human DN remains largely unmapped. Neuroimaging research has redefined broad categories of functional division in the human brain showing that primary processing, attentional (task positive) processing, and default-mode (task negative) processing are three central poles of neural macroscale functional organization. This broad spectrum of human neural processing categories is represented not only in the cerebral cortex, but also in the thalamus, striatum, and cerebellar cortex. Whether functional organization in DN obeys a similar set of macroscale divisions, and whether DN are yet another compartment of representation of a broad spectrum of human neural processing categories, remains unknown. Here, we show for the first time that human DN are optimally divided into three functional territories as indexed by high spatio-temporal resolution resting-state MRI in 77 healthy humans, and that these three distinct territories contribute uniquely to default-mode, salience-motor, and visual cerebral cortical networks. Our findings provide a systems neuroscience substrate for cerebellar output to influence multiple broad categories of neural control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Guell
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Ataxia Unit, Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Neuroanatomy and Cerebellar Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Anila M D'Mello
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Nicholas A Hubbard
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior, Department of Psychology, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Rachel R Romeo
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Boston Children's Hospital, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - John D E Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Susan Whitfield-Gabrieli
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jeremy D Schmahmann
- Ataxia Unit, Cognitive Behavioral Neurology Unit, Laboratory for Neuroanatomy and Cerebellar Neurobiology, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Sheeba Arnold Anteraper
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.,Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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6
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Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia Improves with Bilateral Thalamic Deep Brain Stimulation: Report of 3 Cases Done Asleep and Review of Literature. Tremor Other Hyperkinet Mov (N Y) 2020; 10:60. [PMID: 33505767 PMCID: PMC7792454 DOI: 10.5334/tohm.575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: To date, there are only six published reports of adductor spasmodic dysphonia (SD) responding to awake thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases of Essential Tremor (ET) with SD that were seen in our center from 2012 to 2020. We further identified those that have undergone thalamic DBS, and had a blinded laryngologist rate first the audio voice recordings before and after DBS using the Unified Spasmodic Dysphonia Rating Scale (USDRS), and the video recordings last to rate the related movements and facial grimacing. Results: We identified three cases of adductor SD with ET that had undergone bilateral ventralis intermedius (VIM) DBS under general anesthesia. All patients noted improvement of their limb and voice tremor, as well as their SD post-DBS. Although improvement of tremor was observed even with initial programming in all three, improvement of SD was noted only upon reaching higher amplitudes or wider pulse widths. Blinded voice assessments showed improvement of USDRS scores post-DBS compared to pre-DBS, and with stimulator on compared to stimulator off. Discussion: We report the first three cases of SD responding favorably to bilateral VIM asleep DBS and summarize the nine cases so far of SD who have undergone thalamic DBS.
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7
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Schwab BC, Kase D, Zimnik A, Rosenbaum R, Codianni MG, Rubin JE, Turner RS. Neural activity during a simple reaching task in macaques is counter to gating and rebound in basal ganglia-thalamic communication. PLoS Biol 2020; 18:e3000829. [PMID: 33048920 PMCID: PMC7584254 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Task-related activity in the ventral thalamus, a major target of basal ganglia output, is often assumed to be permitted or triggered by changes in basal ganglia activity through gating- or rebound-like mechanisms. To test those hypotheses, we sampled single-unit activity from connected basal ganglia output and thalamic nuclei (globus pallidus-internus [GPi] and ventrolateral anterior nucleus [VLa]) in monkeys performing a reaching task. Rate increases were the most common peri-movement change in both nuclei. Moreover, peri-movement changes generally began earlier in VLa than in GPi. Simultaneously recorded GPi-VLa pairs rarely showed short-time-scale spike-to-spike correlations or slow across-trials covariations, and both were equally positive and negative. Finally, spontaneous GPi bursts and pauses were both followed by small, slow reductions in VLa rate. These results appear incompatible with standard gating and rebound models. Still, gating or rebound may be possible in other physiological situations: simulations show how GPi-VLa communication can scale with GPi synchrony and GPi-to-VLa convergence, illuminating how synchrony of basal ganglia output during motor learning or in pathological conditions may render this pathway effective. Thus, in the healthy state, basal ganglia-thalamic communication during learned movement is more subtle than expected, with changes in firing rates possibly being dominated by a common external source.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina C. Schwab
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Technical Medical Center, University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - Daisuke Kase
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Andrew Zimnik
- Department of Neuroscience, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Robert Rosenbaum
- Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, United States of America
| | - Marcello G. Codianni
- Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jonathan E. Rubin
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Department of Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Robert S. Turner
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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8
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Bello EM, Agnesi F, Xiao Y, Dao J, Johnson MD. Frequency-dependent spike-pattern changes in motor cortex during thalamic deep brain stimulation. J Neurophysiol 2020; 124:1518-1529. [PMID: 32965147 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00198.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebellar-receiving area of the motor thalamus is the primary anatomical target for treating essential tremor with deep brain stimulation (DBS). Although neuroimaging studies have shown that higher stimulation frequencies in this target correlate with increased cortical metabolic activity, less is known about the cellular-level functional changes that occur in the primary motor cortex (M1) with thalamic stimulation and how these changes depend on the frequency of DBS. In this study, we used a preclinical animal model of DBS to collect single-unit spike recordings in M1 before, during, and after DBS targeting the cerebellar-receiving area of the motor thalamus (VPLo, nucleus ventralis posterior lateralis pars oralis). The effects of VPLo-DBS on M1 spike rates, interspike interval entropy, and peristimulus phase-locking were compared across stimulus pulse train frequencies ranging from 10 to 130 Hz. Although VPLo-DBS modulated the spike rates of 20-50% of individual M1 cells in a frequency-dependent manner, the population-level average spike rate only weakly depended on stimulation frequency. In contrast, the population-level entropy measure showed a pronounced decrease with high-frequency stimulation, caused by a subpopulation of cells that exhibited strong phase-locking and general spike-pattern regularization. Contrarily, low-frequency stimulation induced an entropy increase (spike-pattern disordering) in a relatively large portion of the recorded population, which diminished with higher stimulation frequencies. These results also suggest that changes in phase-locking and spike-pattern entropy are not necessarily equivalent pattern phenomena, but rather that they should both be weighed when quantifying stimulation-induced spike-pattern changes.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The network mechanisms of thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) are not well understood at the cellular level. This study investigated the neuronal firing rate and pattern changes in the motor cortex resulting from stimulation of the cerebellar-receiving area of the motor thalamus. We showed that there is a nonintuitive relationship between general entropy-based spike-pattern measures and phase-locked regularization to DBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward M Bello
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Filippo Agnesi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Yizi Xiao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Joan Dao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
| | - Matthew D Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.,Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
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9
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Gamberini M, Passarelli L, Impieri D, Worthy KH, Burman KJ, Fattori P, Galletti C, Rosa MGP, Bakola S. Thalamic afferents emphasize the different functions of macaque precuneate areas. Brain Struct Funct 2020; 225:853-870. [PMID: 32078035 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02045-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
We studied the thalamic afferents to cortical areas in the precuneus using injections of retrograde fluorescent neuronal tracers in four male macaques (Macaca fascicularis). Six injections were within the limits of cytoarchitectural area PGm, one in area 31 and one in area PEci. Precuneate areas shared strong input from the posterior thalamus (lateral posterior nucleus and pulvinar complex) and moderate input from the medial, lateral, and intralaminar thalamic regions. Area PGm received strong connections from the subdivisions of the pulvinar linked to association and visual function (the medial and lateral nuclei), whereas areas 31 and PEci received afferents from the oral division of the pulvinar. All three cytoarchitectural areas also received input from subdivisions of the lateral thalamus linked to motor function (ventral lateral and ventral anterior nuclei), with area PEci receiving additional input from a subdivision linked to somatosensory function (ventral posterior lateral nucleus). Finally, only PGm received substantial limbic association afferents, mainly via the lateral dorsal nucleus. These results indicate that area PGm integrates information from visual association, motor and limbic regions of the thalamus, in line with a hypothesized role in spatial cognition, including navigation. By comparison, dorsal precuneate areas (31 and PEci) are more involved in sensorimotor functions, being akin to adjacent areas of the dorsal parietal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Gamberini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lauretta Passarelli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Daniele Impieri
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Katrina H Worthy
- Department of Physiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University Node, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Kathleen J Burman
- Department of Physiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudio Galletti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marcello G P Rosa
- Department of Physiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
- Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University Node, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia
| | - Sophia Bakola
- Department of Physiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
- Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University Node, Clayton, VIC, 3800, Australia.
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10
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Yoon K, Lee W, Lee JE, Xu L, Croce P, Foley L, Yoo SS. Effects of sonication parameters on transcranial focused ultrasound brain stimulation in an ovine model. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224311. [PMID: 31648261 PMCID: PMC6812789 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Low-intensity focused ultrasound (FUS) has significant potential as a non-invasive brain stimulation modality and novel technique for functional brain mapping, particularly with its advantage of greater spatial selectivity and depth penetration compared to existing non-invasive brain stimulation techniques. As previous studies, primarily carried out in small animals, have demonstrated that sonication parameters affect the stimulation efficiency, further investigation in large animals is necessary to translate this technique into clinical practice. In the present study, we examined the effects of sonication parameters on the transient modification of excitability of cortical and thalamic areas in an ovine model. Guided by anatomical and functional neuroimaging data specific to each animal, 250 kHz FUS was transcranially applied to the primary sensorimotor area associated with the right hind limb and its thalamic projection in sheep (n = 10) across multiple sessions using various combinations of sonication parameters. The degree of effect from FUS was assessed through electrophysiological responses, through analysis of electromyogram and electroencephalographic somatosensory evoked potentials for evaluation of excitatory and suppressive effects, respectively. We found that the modulatory effects were transient and reversible, with specific sonication parameters outperforming others in modulating regional brain activity. Magnetic resonance imaging and histological analysis conducted at different time points after the final sonication session, as well as behavioral observations, showed that repeated exposure to FUS did not damage the underlying brain tissue. Our results suggest that FUS-mediated, non-invasive, region-specific bimodal neuromodulation can be safely achieved in an ovine model, indicating its potential for translation into human studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyungho Yoon
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Wonhye Lee
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ji Eun Lee
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Linda Xu
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Phillip Croce
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Lori Foley
- Translational Discovery Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Seung-Schik Yoo
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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11
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Deep brain stimulation induces sparse distributions of locally modulated neuronal activity. Sci Rep 2018; 8:2062. [PMID: 29391468 PMCID: PMC5794783 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20428-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy is a potent tool for treating a range of brain disorders. High frequency stimulation (HFS) patterns used in DBS therapy are known to modulate neuronal spike rates and patterns in the stimulated nucleus; however, the spatial distribution of these modulated responses are not well understood. Computational models suggest that HFS modulates a volume of tissue spatially concentrated around the active electrode. Here, we tested this theory by investigating modulation of spike rates and patterns in non-human primate motor thalamus while stimulating the cerebellar-receiving area of motor thalamus, the primary DBS target for treating Essential Tremor. HFS inhibited spike activity in the majority of recorded cells, but increasing stimulation amplitude also shifted the response to a greater degree of spike pattern modulation. Modulated responses in both categories exhibited a sparse and long-range spatial distribution within motor thalamus, suggesting that stimulation preferentially affects afferent and efferent axonal processes traversing near the active electrode and that the resulting modulated volume strongly depends on the local connectome of these axonal processes. Such findings have important implications for current clinical efforts building predictive computational models of DBS therapy, developing directional DBS lead technology, and formulating closed-loop DBS strategies.
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Kobayashi K, Chien JH, Kim JH, Lenz FA. Sensory, Motor and Intrinsic Mechanisms of Thalamic Activity related to Organic and Psychogenic Dystonia. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017; 7. [PMID: 28944096 PMCID: PMC5609466 DOI: 10.4172/2161-0460.1000324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The thalamus is a critical module in the circuit which has been associated with movement disorders including dystonia. This circuit extends from cortex to striatum to pallidum to the thalamic nucleus Ventral Lateral anterior (VLa) to cortex and can be studied by activity recorded during thalamic stereotactic surgery for the treatment of dystonia. Neuronal recordings in the VLa nucleus show low frequency modulation of firing that is correlated with and leads the low frequency modulation of EMG activity; this EMG activity is characteristic of dystonia. Immediately posterior is the Ventral Lateral posterior (VLp) nucleus which, in controls (patients with tremor or chronic pain), is characterized by deep sensory cells which fire at short latency in response to movement of a single joint or to stimulation of deep structures, such as muscles, tendons and joints. In patients with dystonia, neurons with this sensory activity are much more common than in controls and single neurons often respond to movement of multiple joints. In controls operated for the treatment of tremor or chronic pain many neurons in both nuclei are activated during active or involuntary joint movements, such as tremor or dystonia. The active joint movement related to the firing of a cell is usually in the opposite direction to the passive joint movement which causes that cell to fire. This linkage of active or involuntary and passive joint movement is unfocussed in dystonia. The involuntary dystonic joint movement best correlated with firing of a neuron may not activate the neuron when it occurs as a passive movement, while multiple other passive movements will activate the neuron. These linkages may explain the overflow of isolated voluntary activity to multiple other muscles that is seen in dystonia. The activity of either nucleus may have a critical role in dystonia since their disruption by stimulation or lesioning can decrease dystonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Kobayashi
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurological Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - J H Chien
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - J H Kim
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Neurosurgery, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea
| | - F A Lenz
- Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Modulation of Neuronal Activity in the Motor Thalamus during GPi-DBS in the MPTP Nonhuman Primate Model of Parkinson's Disease. Brain Stimul 2016; 10:126-138. [PMID: 27839724 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2016.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Revised: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The motor thalamus is a key nodal point in the pallidothalamocortical "motor" circuit, which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other movement disorders. Although a critical structure in the motor circuit, the role of the motor thalamus in mediating the therapeutic effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) is not fully understood. OBJECTIVE To characterize the changes in neuronal activity in the pallidal (ventralis lateralis pars oralis (VLo) and ventralis anterior (VA)) and cerebellar (ventralis posterior lateralis pars oralis (VPLo)) receiving areas of the motor thalamus during therapeutic GPi DBS. METHODS Neuronal activity from the VA/VLo (n = 134) and VPLo (n = 129) was recorded from two non-human primates made parkinsonian using the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine. For each isolated unit, one minute of data was recorded before, during and after DBS; a pulse width of 90 µs and a frequency of 135 Hz were used for DBS to replicate commonly used clinical settings. Stimulation amplitude was determined based on the parameters required to improve motor signs. Severity of motor signs was assessed using the UPDRS modified for nonhuman primates. Discharge rate, presence and characteristics of bursts, and oscillatory activity were computed and compared across conditions (pre-, during, and post-stimulation). RESULTS Neurons in both the pallidal and cerebellar receiving areas demonstrated significant changes in their pattern of activity during therapeutic GPi DBS. A majority of the neurons in each nucleus were inhibited during DBS (VA/VLo: 47% and VPLo: 49%), while a smaller subset was excited (VA/VLo: 21% and VPLo: 17%). Bursts changed in structure, becoming longer in duration and both intra-burst and inter-spike intervals and variability were increased in both subnuclei. High frequency oscillatory activity was significantly increased during stimulation with 33% of VA/VLo (likelihood ratio: p < 0.0001) and 34% of VPLo (p < 0.0001) neurons entrained to the stimulation pulse train. CONCLUSIONS Therapeutic GPi DBS produced a significant change in neuronal activity in both pallidal and cerebellar receiving areas of the motor thalamus. DBS suppressed activity in the majority of neurons, changed the structure of bursting activity and locked the neuronal response of one-third of cells to the stimulation pulse, leading to an increase in the power of gamma oscillations. These data support the hypothesis that stimulation activates output from the stimulated structure and that GPi DBS produces network-wide changes in neuronal activity that includes both the pallidal and cerebellar thalamo-cortical circuits.
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Vocal Tremor: Novel Therapeutic Target for Deep Brain Stimulation. Brain Sci 2016; 6:brainsci6040048. [PMID: 27735866 PMCID: PMC5187562 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci6040048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Tremulous voice is characteristically associated with essential tremor, and is referred to as essential vocal tremor (EVT). Current estimates suggest that up to 40% of individuals diagnosed with essential tremor also present with EVT, which is associated with an impaired quality of life. Traditional EVT treatments have demonstrated limited success in long-term management of symptoms. However, voice tremor has been noted to decrease in patients receiving deep brain stimulation (DBS) with the targeting of thalamic nuclei. In this study, we describe our multidisciplinary procedure for awake, frameless DBS with optimal stimulation targets as well as acoustic analysis and laryngoscopic assessment to quantify tremor reduction. Finally, we investigate the most recent clinical evidence regarding the procedure.
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Xiao Y, Zitella LM, Duchin Y, Teplitzky BA, Kastl D, Adriany G, Yacoub E, Harel N, Johnson MD. Multimodal 7T Imaging of Thalamic Nuclei for Preclinical Deep Brain Stimulation Applications. Front Neurosci 2016; 10:264. [PMID: 27375422 PMCID: PMC4901062 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Precise neurosurgical targeting of electrode arrays within the brain is essential to the successful treatment of a range of brain disorders with deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy. Here, we describe a set of computational tools to generate in vivo, subject-specific atlases of individual thalamic nuclei thus improving the ability to visualize thalamic targets for preclinical DBS applications on a subject-specific basis. A sequential nonlinear atlas warping technique and a Bayesian estimation technique for probabilistic crossing fiber tractography were applied to high field (7T) susceptibility-weighted and diffusion-weighted imaging, respectively, in seven rhesus macaques. Image contrast, including contrast within thalamus from the susceptibility-weighted images, informed the atlas warping process and guided the seed point placement for fiber tractography. The susceptibility-weighted imaging resulted in relative hyperintensity of the intralaminar nuclei and relative hypointensity in the medial dorsal nucleus, pulvinar, and the medial/ventral border of the ventral posterior nuclei, providing context to demarcate borders of the ventral nuclei of thalamus, which are often targeted for DBS applications. Additionally, ascending fiber tractography of the medial lemniscus, superior cerebellar peduncle, and pallidofugal pathways into thalamus provided structural demarcation of the ventral nuclei of thalamus. The thalamic substructure boundaries were validated through in vivo electrophysiological recordings and post-mortem blockface tissue sectioning. Together, these imaging tools for visualizing and segmenting thalamus have the potential to improve the neurosurgical targeting of DBS implants and enhance the selection of stimulation settings through more accurate computational models of DBS.
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Affiliation(s)
- YiZi Xiao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Laura M Zitella
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Yuval Duchin
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Benjamin A Teplitzky
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Daniel Kastl
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Gregor Adriany
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Essa Yacoub
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Noam Harel
- Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Matthew D Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN, USA; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, MN, USA
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Ho AL, Choudhri O, Sung CK, DiRenzo EE, Halpern CH. Deep Brain Stimulation for Essential Vocal Tremor: A Technical Report. Cureus 2015; 7:e256. [PMID: 26180680 PMCID: PMC4494540 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Essential vocal tremor (EVT) is the presence of a tremulous voice that is commonly associated with essential tremor. Patients with EVT often report a necessary increase in vocal effort that significantly worsens with stress and anxiety and can significantly impact quality of life despite optimal medical and behavioral treatment options. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been proposed as an effective therapy for vocal tremor, but very few studies exist in the literature that comprehensively evaluate the efficacy of DBS for specifically addressing EVT. We present a technical report on our multidisciplinary, comprehensive operative methodology for treatment of EVT with frameless, awake deep brain stimulation (DBS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Allen L Ho
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine
| | | | - C Kwang Sung
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center
| | - Elizabeth E DiRenzo
- Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center
| | - Casey H Halpern
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Center
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Agnesi F, Muralidharan A, Baker KB, Vitek JL, Johnson MD. Fidelity of frequency and phase entrainment of circuit-level spike activity during DBS. J Neurophysiol 2015; 114:825-34. [PMID: 26084905 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00259.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
High-frequency stimulation is known to entrain spike activity downstream and upstream of several clinical deep brain stimulation (DBS) targets, including the cerebellar-receiving area of thalamus (VPLo), subthalamic nucleus (STN), and globus pallidus (GP). Less understood are the fidelity of entrainment to each stimulus pulse, whether entrainment patterns are stationary over time, and how responses differ among DBS targets. In this study, three rhesus macaques were implanted with a single DBS lead in VPLo, STN, or GP. Single-unit spike activity was recorded in the resting state in motor cortex during VPLo DBS, in GP during STN DBS, and in STN and pallidal-receiving area of motor thalamus (VLo) during GP DBS. VPLo DBS induced time-locked spike activity in 25% (n = 15/61) of motor cortex cells, with entrained cells following 7.5 ± 7.4% of delivered pulses. STN DBS entrained spike activity in 26% (n = 8/27) of GP cells, which yielded time-locked spike activity for 8.7 ± 8.4% of stimulus pulses. GP DBS entrained 67% (n = 14/21) of STN cells and 32% (n = 19/59) of VLo cells, which showed a higher fraction of pulses effectively inhibiting spike activity (82.0 ± 9.6% and 86.1 ± 16.6%, respectively). Latency of phase-locked spike activity increased over time in motor cortex (58%, VPLo DBS) and to a lesser extent in GP (25%, STN DBS). In contrast, the initial inhibitory phase observed in VLo and STN during GP DBS remained stable following stimulation onset. Together, these data suggest that circuit-level entrainment is low-pass filtered during high-frequency stimulation, most notably for glutamatergic pathways. Moreover, phase entrainment is not stationary or consistent at the circuit level for all DBS targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Agnesi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | | | - Kenneth B Baker
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Jerrold L Vitek
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Matthew D Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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18
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Ho AL, Erickson-Direnzo E, Pendharkar AV, Sung CK, Halpern CH. Deep brain stimulation for vocal tremor: a comprehensive, multidisciplinary methodology. Neurosurg Focus 2015; 38:E6. [DOI: 10.3171/2015.3.focus1537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Tremulous voice is a characteristic feature of a multitude of movement disorders, but when it occurs in individuals diagnosed with essential tremor, it is referred to as essential vocal tremor (EVT). For individuals with EVT, their tremulous voice is associated with significant social embarrassment and in severe cases may result in the discontinuation of employment and hobbies. Management of EVT is extremely difficult, and current behavioral and medical interventions for vocal tremor result in suboptimal outcomes. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been proposed as a potential therapeutic avenue for EVT, but few studies can be identified that have systematically examined improvements in EVT following DBS. The authors describe a case of awake bilateral DBS targeting the ventral intermediate nucleus for a patient suffering from severe voice and arm tremor. They also present their comprehensive, multidisciplinary methodology for definitive treatment of EVT via DBS. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time comprehensive intraoperative voice evaluation has been used to guide microelectrode/stimulator placement, as well as the first time that standard pre- and post-DBS assessments have been conducted, demonstrating the efficacy of this tailored DBS approach.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Chih-Kwang Sung
- 2Otolaryngology (Head and Neck Surgery), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
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19
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Da Cunha C, Boschen SL, Gómez-A A, Ross EK, Gibson WSJ, Min HK, Lee KH, Blaha CD. Toward sophisticated basal ganglia neuromodulation: Review on basal ganglia deep brain stimulation. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 58:186-210. [PMID: 25684727 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Revised: 02/01/2015] [Accepted: 02/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This review presents state-of-the-art knowledge about the roles of the basal ganglia (BG) in action-selection, cognition, and motivation, and how this knowledge has been used to improve deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Such pathological conditions include Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Tourette syndrome, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. The first section presents evidence supporting current hypotheses of how the cortico-BG circuitry works to select motor and emotional actions, and how defects in this circuitry can cause symptoms of the BG diseases. Emphasis is given to the role of striatal dopamine on motor performance, motivated behaviors and learning of procedural memories. Next, the use of cutting-edge electrochemical techniques in animal and human studies of BG functioning under normal and disease conditions is discussed. Finally, functional neuroimaging studies are reviewed; these works have shown the relationship between cortico-BG structures activated during DBS and improvement of disease symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Da Cunha
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Suelen L Boschen
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Alexander Gómez-A
- Departamento de Farmacologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Erika K Ross
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | | | - Hoon-Ki Min
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Kendall H Lee
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA; Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Charles D Blaha
- Department of Psychology, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA.
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Kobayashi K, Liu CC, Jensen AL, Vitek JL, Mari Z, Lenz FA. Thalamic post-inhibitory bursting occurs in patients with organic dystonia more often than controls. Brain Res 2013; 1541:81-91. [PMID: 24125808 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2013.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2013] [Revised: 10/03/2013] [Accepted: 10/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We now test the hypothesis that post-inhibitory bursting in the human pallidal receiving nucleus of the thalamus (ventral oral) mediates inhibitory pallido-thalamic transmission during dystonia. We have compared thalamic single neuron activity in nine patients with organic dystonia to that in a patient with psychogenic dystonia (Psyd) and in healthy waking monkeys. In organic dystonia, EMG power is commonly concentrated at the lowest frequency of the smoothed autopower spectrum (0.39Hz). Therefore, segments of spike trains with a signal-to-noise ratio ≥2 at 0.39Hz were termed dystonia frequency (DF) segments, which occurred more commonly during dystonia related to movement. Those with a SNR<2 were termed non-dystonia frequency (nDF) segments, which were associated with spontaneous dystonia. We concentrated on nDF activity since neuronal activity in our controls was measured at rest. Neuronal spike trains were categorized into those with post-inhibitory bursts (G, grouped), with single spikes (NG, non-grouped), or with both single spikes and bursts (I, intermediate). nDF spike trains in ventral oral had more G category firing in dystonia than in controls. The burst rate and the pre-burst silent period in nDF firing of organic dystonia were consistently greater than those of both the monkeys and the patient with Psyd. The distribution of the pre-burst silent period was bimodal with a longer mode of approximately GABAb (gamma amino butyric acid receptor-type b) duration. These results demonstrate distinct differences of post-inhibitory bursting in organic dystonia versus controls. The presence of inhibitory events consistent with GABAb duration suggests interventions for treatment of dystonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Kobayashi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurological Surgery, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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21
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Agnesi F, Connolly AT, Baker KB, Vitek JL, Johnson MD. Deep brain stimulation imposes complex informational lesions. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74462. [PMID: 23991221 PMCID: PMC3753277 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 08/01/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy has become an essential tool for treating a range of brain disorders. In the resting state, DBS is known to regularize spike activity in and downstream of the stimulated brain target, which in turn has been hypothesized to create informational lesions. Here, we specifically test this hypothesis using repetitive joint articulations in two non-human Primates while recording single-unit activity in the sensorimotor globus pallidus and motor thalamus before, during, and after DBS in the globus pallidus (GP) GP-DBS resulted in: (1) stimulus-entrained firing patterns in globus pallidus, (2) a monophasic stimulus-entrained firing pattern in motor thalamus, and (3) a complete or partial loss of responsiveness to joint position, velocity, or acceleration in globus pallidus (75%, 12/16 cells) and in the pallidal receiving area of motor thalamus (ventralis lateralis pars oralis, VLo) (38%, 21/55 cells). Despite loss of kinematic tuning, cells in the globus pallidus (63%, 10/16 cells) and VLo (84%, 46/55 cells) still responded to one or more aspects of joint movement during GP-DBS. Further, modulated kinematic tuning did not always necessitate modulation in firing patterns (2/12 cells in globus pallidus; 13/23 cells in VLo), and regularized firing patterns did not always correspond to altered responses to joint articulation (3/4 cells in globus pallidus, 11/33 cells in VLo). In this context, DBS therapy appears to function as an amalgam of network modulating and network lesioning therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Agnesi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Allison T. Connolly
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Kenneth B. Baker
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Jerrold L. Vitek
- Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Matthew D. Johnson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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The distributed somatotopy of tremor: a window into the motor system. Exp Neurol 2013; 241:156-8. [PMID: 23298522 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2012.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2012] [Accepted: 12/26/2012] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The posterior ventrolateral thalamus (VLp) plays a crucial role in Parkinson's tremor and in essential tremor: deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the VLp effectively diminishes both tremor types. Previous research has shown tremor oscillations in the VLp, but the spatial extent and somatotopy of these oscillations remained unclear. In this issue of Experimental Neurology, Pedrosa and colleagues measured neuro-muscular coherence at multiple sites in the VLp of patients with essential tremor and Parkinson's disease using implanted DBS electrodes (Pedrosa et al., 2012). They found multiple tremor clusters within the VLp, with spatially distinct tremor clusters for antagonistic muscles, and in many patients also multiple distinct tremor clusters for a single muscle. Interestingly, this group previously showed similar effects for the STN in tremulous Parkinson's disease (Reck et al., 2009, 2010). Together, these studies suggest that the distribution of tremor clusters is a general organizational principle of tremor, being present in two different tremor pathologies, and in two different nodes of the motor system. The presence of multiple tremor clusters also fits with the distributed somatotopy of the healthy motor system. Therefore, a further conclusion of this study could be that tremor is caused by aberrant synchronization within an otherwise healthy network, brought about by different pathophysiological neural triggers.
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External pallidal stimulation improves parkinsonian motor signs and modulates neuronal activity throughout the basal ganglia thalamic network. Exp Neurol 2011; 233:581-6. [PMID: 22001773 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2011.09.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2011] [Revised: 09/14/2011] [Accepted: 09/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) are effective for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). We have shown previously that DBS of the external segment of the globus pallidus (GPe) is associated with improvements in parkinsonian motor signs; however, the mechanism of this effect is not known. In this study, we extend our findings on the effect of STN and GPi DBS on neuronal activity in the basal ganglia thalamic network to include GPe DBS using the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1.2.3.6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) monkey model. Stimulation parameters that improved bradykinesia were associated with changes in the pattern and mean discharge rate of neuronal activity in the GPi, STN, and the pallidal [ventralis lateralis pars oralis (VLo) and ventralis anterior (VA)] and cerebellar [ventralis lateralis posterior pars oralis (VPLo)] receiving areas of the motor thalamus. Population post-stimulation time histograms revealed a complex pattern of stimulation-related inhibition and excitation for the GPi and VA/VLo, with a more consistent pattern of inhibition in STN and excitation in VPLo. Mean discharge rate was reduced in the GPi and STN and increased in the VPLo. Effective GPe DBS also reduced bursting in the STN and GPi. These data support the hypothesis that therapeutic DBS activates output from the stimulated structure and changes the temporal pattern of neuronal activity throughout the basal ganglia thalamic network and provide further support for GPe as a potential therapeutic target for DBS in the treatment of PD.
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Nambu A. Somatotopic organization of the primate Basal Ganglia. Front Neuroanat 2011; 5:26. [PMID: 21541304 PMCID: PMC3082737 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2011.00026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2010] [Accepted: 03/31/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Somatotopic organization is a fundamental and key concept to understand how the cortico-basal ganglia loop works. It is also indispensable knowledge to perform stereotaxic surgery for movement disorders. Here I would like to describe the somatotopic organization of the basal ganglia, which consist of the striatum, subthalamic nucleus, globus pallidus, and substantia nigra. Projections from motor cortical regions representing different body parts terminate in different regions of these nuclei. Basal ganglia neurons respond not only to the stimulation of the corresponding regions of the motor cortices, but also to active and passive movements of the corresponding body parts. On the basis of these anatomical and physiological findings, somatotopic organization can be identified in the motor territories of these nuclei in the basal ganglia. In addition, projections from functionally interrelated cortical areas partially converge through the cortico-basal ganglia loop, but nevertheless the somatotopy is still preserved. Disorganized somatotopy may explain, at least in part, the pathophysiology of movement disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and dystonia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Nambu
- Division of System Neurophysiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences Okazaki, Japan
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Oyama G, Foote KD, Hwynn N, Jacobson CE, Malaty IA, Rodriguez RL, Zeilman P, Okun MS. Rescue leads: a salvage technique for selected patients with a suboptimal response to standard DBS therapy. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2011; 17:451-5. [PMID: 21482169 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2011.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2010] [Revised: 03/14/2011] [Accepted: 03/17/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECT We present four cases where supplementary "rescue" deep brain stimulation (DBS) leads were added for patients who failed to obtain anticipated clinical benefits. METHODS Nine patients out of 295 patients who underwent DBS between 2002 and 2009, were identified as rescue lead recipients. Of these nine cases, four cases were evaluated. Two had medication refractory tremor which was incompletely suppressed by Vim (nucleus ventralis intermedius) thalamic DBS, and supplemental rescue leads were implanted in either the VO (ventral oralis) thalamic nucleus or the STN (subthalamic nucleus). The remaining two cases were patients with severe dystonia who were initially treated with bilateral GPi (globus pallidus internus)-DBS, and following suboptimal clinical benefits, a second GPi rescue lead was added in a case, and bilateral STN rescue leads were added in the other case. Outcomes of scores collected included Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale (TRS) for tremor cases and the Unified Dystonia Rating Scale (UDRS) for dystonia cases and the symptom specific patient global impression scales (PGIS; 7 point scale). RESULTS In the tremor cases, the TRS scale improved by 34.1 ± 7.4% and the PGIS following rescue lead was "minimally improved" to "very much improved" (range 1-2). In dystonia cases, the UDRS improved by 50.0 ± 23.6% and the PGIS was "minimally improved" to "very much improved" (range 1-2) after rescue lead surgery. CONCLUSION This small retrospective case series demonstrated that, in appropriately selected patients with suboptimal results of standard DBS therapy, the addition of rescue lead(s) may provide meaningful clinical benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genko Oyama
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine/Shands Hospital, Movement Disorders Center, McKnight Brain Institute, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
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Abstract
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an effective tool for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease. The mechanism by which STN DBS elicits its beneficial effect, however, remains unclear. We previously reported STN stimulation increased the rate and produced a more regular and periodic pattern of neuronal activity in the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi). Here we extend our observations to neurons in the pallidal [ventralis lateralis pars oralis (VLo) and ventralis anterior (VA)] and cerebellar [ventralis lateralis posterior pars oralis (VPLo)] receiving areas of the motor thalamus during STN DBS. Stimulation parameters that produced improvement in rigidity and bradykinesia resulted in changes in the pattern and power of oscillatory activity of neuronal activity that were similar in both regions of the motor thalamus. Neurons in both VA/VLo and VPLo tended to become more periodic and regular with a shift in oscillatory activity from low to high frequencies. Burst activity was reduced in VA/VLo, but was not significantly changed in VPLo. There was also a significant shift in the population of VA/VLo neurons that were inhibited during STN DBS, whereas VPLo neurons tended to be activated. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that STN DBS increases output from the nucleus and produces a change in the pattern and periodicity of neuronal activity in the basal ganglia thalamic network, and that these changes include cerebellar pathways likely via activation of adjacent cerebello-thalamic fiber bundles.
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Nambu A. Seven problems on the basal ganglia. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2008; 18:595-604. [PMID: 19081243 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2008.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 169] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2008] [Revised: 10/27/2008] [Accepted: 11/09/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Our knowledge on the functions of the basal ganglia has increased enormously during the last two decades. However, we still do not completely understand the primary function of the basal ganglia. In this article, I review fundamental problems on the basal ganglia that have emerged from recent findings, and propose their solutions in the following seven topics: first, organization of the cortico-basal ganglia loop, second, limitations of the 'direct and indirect pathways model', third, feedforward inhibition in the striatum, fourth, contribution of the basal ganglia to cortical activity through the thalamus, fifth, focused selection of movements and learning, sixth, firing rate model versus firing pattern model for the pathophysiology of movement disorders, and lastly mechanisms of stereotaxic surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atsushi Nambu
- Division of System Neurophysiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Japan.
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Microelectrode findings and topographic reorganisation of kinaesthetic cells after gamma knife thalamotomy. Acta Neurochir (Wien) 2008; 150:823-7; discussion 827. [PMID: 18615234 DOI: 10.1007/s00701-008-1606-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2007] [Accepted: 04/21/2008] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
A 64-year-old woman with Parkinson is disease had a severe resting tremor that was not completely relieved by right-sided gamma knife thalamotomy (GKT). We performed bilateral staged thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) and compared the right and left ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) of the thalamus including the frequency of single units recorded with microelectrodes, and also the somatotopical distribution of kinaesthetic cells (Ki). The average frequency of units for the presumed left Vim exceeded that of the right (22.6 +/- 19.2 Hz vs. 14.3 +/- 8.8 Hz). Regarding the somatotopic distribution of Ki, the receptive field for the leg, which is usually situated in the dorsolateral Vim, was more widely scattered in the right Vim than the non-lesioned left side. Our findings raise the possibility that the specific properties of the neurons changed due to partial coagulation by GKT within both the coagulated and the surrounding thalamic lesions.
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Cappe C, Morel A, Rouiller EM. Thalamocortical and the dual pattern of corticothalamic projections of the posterior parietal cortex in macaque monkeys. Neuroscience 2007; 146:1371-87. [PMID: 17395383 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.02.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2006] [Revised: 02/07/2007] [Accepted: 02/15/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The corticothalamic projection includes a main, modulatory projection from cortical layer VI terminating with small endings whereas a less numerous, driving projection from layer V forms giant endings. Such dual pattern of corticothalamic projections is well established in rodents and cats for many cortical areas. In non-human primates (monkeys), it has been reported for the primary sensory cortices (A1, V1, S1), the motor and premotor cortical areas and, in the parietal lobe, also for area 7. The present study aimed first at refining the cytoarchitecture parcellation of area 5 into the sub-areas PE and PEa and, second, establishing whether area 5 also exhibits this dual pattern of corticothalamic projection and what is its precise topography. To this aim, the tracer biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) was injected in area PE in one monkey and in area PEa in a second monkey. Area PE sends a major projection terminating with small endings to the thalamic lateral posterior nucleus (LP), ventral posterior lateral nucleus (VPL), medial pulvinar (PuM) and, but fewer, to ventral lateral posterior nucleus, dorsal division (VLpd), central lateral nucleus (CL) and center median nucleus (CM), whereas giant endings formed restricted terminal fields in LP, VPL and PuM. For area PEa, the corticothalamic projection formed by small endings was found mainly in LP, VPL, anterior pulvinar (PuA), lateral pulvinar (PuL), PuM and, to a lesser extent, in ventral posterior inferior nucleus (VPI), CL, mediodorsal nucleus (MD) and CM. Giant endings originating from area PEa formed restricted terminal fields in LP, VPL, PuA, PuM, MD and PuL. Furthermore, the origin of the thalamocortical projections to areas PE and PEa was established, exhibiting clusters of neurons in the same thalamic nuclei as above, in other words predominantly in the caudal thalamus. Via the giant endings CT projection, areas PE and PEa may send feedforward, transthalamic projections to remote cortical areas in the parietal, temporal and frontal lobes contributing to polysensory and sensorimotor integration, relevant for visual guidance of reaching movements for instance.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Cappe
- Unit of Physiology and Program in Neurosciences, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Sciences, University of Fribourg, Rue du Musée 5, CH-1700 Fribourg, and Department of Functional Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Clinic, University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland
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Padberg J, Krubitzer L. Thalamocortical connections of anterior and posterior parietal cortical areas in New World titi monkeys. J Comp Neurol 2006; 497:416-35. [PMID: 16736469 DOI: 10.1002/cne.21005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
We examined the thalamocortical connections of electrophysiologically identified locations in the hand and forelimb representations in areas 3b, 1, and 5 in the New World titi monkeys (Callicebus moloch), and of area 7b/AIP. Labeled cells and terminals in the thalamus resulting from the injections were related to architectonic boundaries. As in previous studies in primates, the hand representation of area 3b has dense, restricted projections predominantly from the lateral division of the ventral posterior nucleus (VPl). Projections to area 1 were highly convergent from several thalamic nuclei including the ventral lateral nucleus (VL), anterior pulvinar (PA), VPl, and the superior division of the ventral posterior nucleus (VPs). In cortex immediately caudal to area 1, what we term area 5, thalamocortical connections were also highly convergent and predominantly from nuclei of the thalamus associated with motor, visual, or somatic processing such as VL, the medial pulvinar (PM), and PA, respectively; with moderate projections from VP, central lateral nucleus (CL), lateral posterior nucleus (LP), and VPs. Finally, thalamocortical connections of area 7b/AIP were from a range of nuclei including PA, PM, LP/LD, VL, CL, PL, and CM. The current data support two conclusions drawn from previous studies in titi monkeys and other primates. First, cortex caudal to area 1 in New World monkeys is more like area 5 than area 2. Second, the presence of thalamic input to area 5 from both motor nuclei and somatosensory nuclei of the thalamus, suggests that area 5 could be considered a highly specialized sensorimotor area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Padberg
- Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University of California-Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA
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Foote KD, Seignourel P, Fernandez HH, Romrell J, Whidden E, Jacobson C, Rodriguez RL, Okun MS. Dual electrode thalamic deep brain stimulation for the treatment of posttraumatic and multiple sclerosis tremor. Neurosurgery 2006; 58:ONS-280-5; discussion ONS-285-6. [PMID: 16582651 DOI: 10.1227/01.neu.0000192692.95455.fd] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To report the results of ventralis intermedius nucleus/ventralis oralis posterior nucleus (VIM) plus ventralis oralis anterior (VOA)/ventralis oralis posterior (VOP) thalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) for the treatment of posttraumatic and multiple sclerosis tremor. OBJECTIVE The treatment of posttraumatic tremor and multiple sclerosis tremor, by either medication or surgery, has proven difficult. Lesions and DBS have had mixed and somewhat disappointing results. Previously, we reported the use of two DBS electrodes (one at the VIM/VOP border and one at the VOA/VOP border) as effective for the treatment of posttraumatic tremor in a single patient. In this study, we report the results of this technique on four patients. METHODS Four patients with either posttraumatic tremor (n = 3) or multiple sclerosis tremor (n = 1) underwent placement of two DBS electrodes (one at the VIM/VOP border and one at the VOA/VOP border). Patients underwent preoperative testing and testing at a minimum of 6 months after implantation in four conditions: On VIM DBS/On VOA/VOP DBS; On VIM DBS/Off VOA VOP DBS (5 h DBS washout); Off VIM DBS/Off VOA/VOP DBS (12 h overnight washout); and Off VIM DBS/On VOA/VOP DBS (5 h DBS washout). RESULTS Each of the patients showed improvements in all four conditions when compared with the baseline. All of the improvements were maintained with chronic DBS, without tremor rebound. An analysis was performed to determine whether each condition was associated with symptom reduction (percentage change). The percentage reduction was significant for each condition and measure, despite the small number of participants. For the total tremor rating scale score, the Off VIM/Off VOA/VOP condition yielded less symptom reduction than the On VIM condition or the On VOA/VOP condition. The On VIM and On VOA/VOP conditions did not differ significantly from each other in terms of contralateral upper extremity symptoms or total clinical score. Activation of both the VIM and VOA/VOP electrodes was associated with the greatest symptom reduction. CONCLUSION Tremors, such as those examined in this study, that are refractory to medications and have a poor response to VIM DBS monotherapy, may respond favorably to VIM plus VOA/VOP DBS. Two electrodes may be better than one for the treatment of certain disorders; however, more study will be required to confirm this hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly D Foote
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA
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Foote KD, Okun MS. Ventralis intermedius plus ventralis oralis anterior and posterior deep brain stimulation for posttraumatic Holmes tremor: two leads may be better than one: technical note. Neurosurgery 2006; 56:E445; discussion E445. [PMID: 15794849 DOI: 10.1227/01.neu.0000157104.87448.78] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2003] [Accepted: 03/04/2004] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE To describe the effects of ventralis oralis anterior (VOA) and posterior (VOP), as well as ventralis intermedius (VIM), deep brain stimulation (two ipsilateral thalamic leads implanted) on posttraumatic Holmes tremor. Results of both thalamic lesioning and thalamic deep brain stimulation for Holmes tremor and tremors due to posttraumatic lesions in the region of the midbrain have been disappointing. In 2001, the use of two electrodes implanted in parallel for severe essential tremor was reported. We propose the use of a similar technique for posttraumatic Holmes tremor. One rationalization for the placement of two leads was to affect both the cerebellar receiving area (VIM) and the pallidal receiving area (VOA/VOP). A second rationalization was that the placement of a second electrode may affect somatotopy, and may, therefore, be beneficial for the treatment of more difficult to control tremor subtypes. CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 24-year-old man with intractable posttraumatic Holmes tremor presented for consideration of a surgical intervention. INTERVENTION A high-resolution, volumetric magnetic resonance imaging scan was obtained 1 day before the procedure. Microelectrode recording was used in addition to stereotactic computed tomography, image fusion, and stereotactic targeting to map the locations of the VIM, VOP, and VOA nuclei of the thalamus. A deep brain stimulation electrode was then implanted on the border between the left VIM and VOP thalamic nuclei, and a second ipsilateral deep brain stimulation lead was placed on the VOA and VOP border, 2 mm anterior to the first. Fourteen videotaped tremor rating scales were evaluated by two blinded reviewers. CONCLUSION The patient experienced tremor rebound with VIM-VOP monotherapy. However, when the second lead (VOA/VOP) was activated, he experienced sustained improvement in tremor and tremor disability at a 12-month follow-up examination. This case elucidates a potential new approach for the treatment of patients with posttraumatic Holmes tremor. Additional study and longer follow-up periods will be needed to further evaluate this promising therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly D Foote
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, McKnight Brain Institute, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Michelon P, Vettel JM, Zacks JM. Lateral Somatotopic Organization During Imagined and Prepared Movements. J Neurophysiol 2006; 95:811-22. [PMID: 16207787 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00488.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor imagery is a complex cognitive operation that requires memory retrieval, spatial attention, and possibly computations that are analogs of the physical movements being imagined. Likewise, motor preparation may or may not involve computations that are analogs of actual movements. To test whether motor imagery or motor preparation activate representations that are specific to the body part whose movement is imagined or prepared, participants performed, imagined, and prepared hand movements while undergoing functional MRI scanning. Actual hand movements activated components of the motor system including primary motor and somatosensory cortex, the supplementary motor area, the thalamus, and the cerebellum. All of these areas showed strong lateral organization, such that moving a given hand activated the contralateral cortex and ipsilateral cerebellum most strongly. During motor imagery and motor preparation, activity throughout the motor system was much reduced relative to overt movement. However, significant lateral organization was observed during both motor imagery and motor preparation in primary motor cortex, the supplementary motor area, and the thalamus. These results support the view that the subjective experience of imagined movement is accompanied by computations that are analogs of the physical movement that is imagined. They also suggest that in this regard motor imagery and motor preparation are similar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascale Michelon
- Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
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34
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Abstract
Abstract
THE MOTOR THALAMUS is an important target for the treatment of tremor. It receives afferents from the cerebellum, globus pallidus internus, and substantia nigra and projects mainly to the motor cortex, premotor cortex, and supplementary motor area. Various nomenclatures have been proposed to subdivide the motor thalamus, none of which are universally accepted. Both thalamic lesions and high-frequency stimulation ameliorate tremor in diverse pathological conditions. Modern neurophysiological techniques have allowed the recording of the activity of thalamic neurons in patients with different clinical conditions. This has provided a better understanding of the functions of the motor thalamus in humans. The aim of the present article is to briefly review the major anatomic and physiological aspects of the motor thalamus as well as the electrophysiological findings described in humans undergoing surgical procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clement Hamani
- Division of Neurosurgery, Toronto Western Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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35
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Esser SK, Hill SL, Tononi G. Modeling the Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Cortical Circuits. J Neurophysiol 2005; 94:622-39. [PMID: 15788519 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01230.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is commonly used to activate or inactivate specific cortical areas in a noninvasive manner. Because of technical constraints, the precise effects of TMS on cortical circuits are difficult to assess experimentally. Here, this issue is investigated by constructing a detailed model of a portion of the thalamocortical system and examining the effects of the simulated delivery of a TMS pulse. The model, which incorporates a large number of physiological and anatomical constraints, includes 33,000 spiking neurons arranged in a 3-layered motor cortex and over 5 million intra- and interlayer synaptic connections. The model was validated by reproducing several results from the experimental literature. These include the frequency, timing, dose response, and pharmacological modulation of epidurally recorded responses to TMS (the so-called I-waves), as well as paired-pulse response curves consistent with data from several experimental studies. The modeled responses to simulated TMS pulses in different experimental paradigms provide a detailed, self-consistent account of the neural and synaptic activities evoked by TMS within prototypical cortical circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve K Esser
- Neuroscience Training Program, University of Wisconsin, 6001 Research Park Boulevard, Madison, Wisconsin 53719-1176, USA
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Kurata K. Activity Properties and Location of Neurons in the Motor Thalamus That Project to the Cortical Motor Areas in Monkeys. J Neurophysiol 2005; 94:550-66. [PMID: 15703228 DOI: 10.1152/jn.01034.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The activity of neurons in the motor nuclei of the thalamus that project to the cortical motor areas (the primary motor cortex, the ventral and dorsal premotor cortex, and the supplementary motor area) was investigated in monkeys that were performing a task in which wrist extension and flexion movements were instructed by visuospatial cues before the onset of movement. Movement was triggered by a visual, auditory, or somatosensory stimulus. Thalamocortical neurons were identified by a spike collision, and exhibited 2 distinct types of task-related activity: 1) a sustained change in activity during the instructed preparation period in response to the instruction cues (set-related activity); and 2) phasic changes in activity during the reaction and movement time periods (movement-related activity). A number of set- and moment-related neurons exhibited direction selectivity. Most movement-related neurons were similarly active, irrespective of the different sensory modalities of the cue for movement. These properties of neuronal activity were similar, regardless of their target cortical motor areas. There were no significant differences in the antidromic latencies of neurons that projected to the primary and nonprimary motor areas. These results suggest that the thalamocortical neurons play an important role in the preparation for, and initiation and execution of, the movements, but are less important than neurons of the nonprimary cortical motor areas in modality-selective sensorimotor transformation. It is likely that such transformations take place within the nonprimary cortical motor areas, but not through thalamocortical information channels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiyoshi Kurata
- Department of Physiology, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Hirosaki 036-8562, Japan.
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Morel A, Liu J, Wannier T, Jeanmonod D, Rouiller EM. Divergence and convergence of thalamocortical projections to premotor and supplementary motor cortex: a multiple tracing study in the macaque monkey. Eur J Neurosci 2005; 21:1007-29. [PMID: 15787707 DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.03921.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The premotor cortex of macaque monkeys is currently subdivided into at least six different subareas on the basis of structural, hodological and physiological criteria. To determine the degree of divergence/convergence of thalamocortical projections to mesial [supplementary motor area (SMA)-proper and pre-SMA] and lateral (PMd-c, PMd-r, PMv-c and PMv-r) premotor (PM) subareas, quantitative analyses were performed on the distribution of retrograde labelling after multiple tracer injections in the same animal. The results demonstrate that all PM and SMA subareas receive common inputs from several thalamic nuclei, but the relative contribution of these nuclei to thalamocortical projections differs. The largest difference occurs between subareas of SMA, with much greater contribution from the mediodorsal (MD) and area X, and a smaller contribution from the ventral lateral anterior (VLa) and ventral part of the ventral lateral posterior (VLpv) to pre-SMA than to SMA-proper. In PM, differences between subareas are less pronounced; in particular, all receive a significant contribution from MD, the ventral anterior (VApc) and area X. However, there are clear gradients, such as increasing projections from MD to rostral, from VLa and VLpv to caudal, and from dorsal VLp (VLpd) to dorsal premotor subareas. Intralaminar nuclei provide widespread projections to all premotor subareas. The degree of overlap between thalamocortical projections varies among different PM and SMA subareas and different sectors of the thalamus. These variations, which correspond to different origin and topography of thalamocortical projections, are discussed in relation to functional organizations at thalamic and cortical levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Morel
- Laboratory for Functional Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery Clinic, University Hospital Zürich, Sternwartstrasse 6, CH-8091 Zürich, Switzerland.
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Hua SE, Lenz FA. Posture-related oscillations in human cerebellar thalamus in essential tremor are enabled by voluntary motor circuits. J Neurophysiol 2004; 93:117-27. [PMID: 15317839 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00527.2004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism of essential tremor (ET) is unclear. Animal models of tremor and functional imaging studies in ET predict that the cerebellum and a cerebellar recipient thalamic nucleus (ventral intermediate, Vim) should exhibit oscillatory activity during rest and during tremor due to abnormal olivo-cerebellar activity. Physiologic responses of 152 single neurons were recorded during awake mapping of the ventral thalamus in seven patients with ET prior to thalamotomy. During postural tremor, spectral cross-correlation analysis demonstrated that 51% of the neurons studied exhibited a concentration of power at tremor frequency that was correlated with electromyography, i.e., tremor neurons. During rest, thalamic neurons did not exhibit tremor-frequency activity. Among the three thalamic nuclei surveyed, Vim had a significantly higher proportion of tremor neurons than did the principal somatic sensory nucleus (ventral caudal, Vc) or a pallidal recipient thalamic nucleus (ventral oral posterior, Vop). Neurons related to active movement (voluntary neurons) had significantly greater tremor-related activity than did nonvoluntary neurons. These findings are not consistent with a model of continuous olivo-cerebellar driving of the motor cortex through thalamic connections. Instead ET may be facilitated by motor circuits that enable tremor-related thalamic activity during voluntary movement. Additionally, a subgroup of tremor neurons with proprioceptive inputs were identified that may allow sensory feedback to access the central tremor network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherwin E Hua
- Department of Neurosurgery, Meyer Bldg. 8-161, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.
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Okun MS, Vitek JL. Lesion therapy for Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders: Update and controversies. Mov Disord 2004; 19:375-89. [PMID: 15077235 DOI: 10.1002/mds.20037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
An analysis of the international literature on lesioning for movement disorders was undertaken to review lesion therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) and other movement disorders and to highlight important controversies surrounding this surgical technique. Lesions have been placed throughout the neuraxis with varying approaches and success. Our understanding of the pathophysiological basis underlying the development of PD and other movement disorders has led to a better understanding of why lesioning certain portions of the nervous system should improve motor function. Advances in imaging technology and electrophysiological techniques used for localization of brain structures, such as microelectrode mapping, have improved the ability to accurately identify and lesion target structures deep in the brain. This improvement has led to an increase in the degree and consistency of clinical benefit. The major controversies in lesion therapy include: (1) which target for which disorder; (2) determination of the optimal lesion site and whether the external globus pallidus (GPe) should be included in the pallidotomy lesion for PD; (3) determination of the size of the lesion; (4) whether bilateral lesions can be placed without the high incidence of side effects reported by some investigators; (5) whether microelectrodes aid in the ability to improve clinical outcomes or increase the risk of side effects by making multiple microelectrode penetrations; (6) whether the subthalamic nucleus (STN) should be explored further as a lesioning target; and (7) whether lesioning should be abandoned entirely in favor of deep brain stimulation (DBS). Many important questions and controversies regarding lesion therapy remain unanswered. It is unlikely given the pro-DBS environment that these questions will be answered in the near future. We should, however, be careful not to abandon an effective therapy before fully exploring through randomized trials the relative effect of different surgical approaches for the treatment of patients with movement disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Okun
- Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
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Kiss ZHT, Davis KD, Tasker RR, Lozano AM, Hu B, Dostrovsky JO. Kinaesthetic neurons in thalamus of humans with and without tremor. Exp Brain Res 2003; 150:85-94. [PMID: 12698220 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-003-1399-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2002] [Accepted: 01/15/2003] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Increased afferent input may alter receptive field sizes, properties and somatotopographic representation in the cortex. Changes in the motor thalamus may also occur as a result of altered afferent input. Such plasticity has been implicated in both sensory and movement disorders. Using tremor as a model of augmented afferent input to kinaesthetic/deep neurons representing the shaking limbs, we studied the representation and properties of these neurons in human thalamus in patients with resting tremor (RestTr) from Parkinson's disease, patients with action- or posture-induced tremor (ActionTr), and patients without tremor (NoTr). Data were collected during stereotactic thalamotomy or insertion of deep brain stimulators for relief of pain or movement disorder. Using microelectrode recording, 58 kinaesthetic neurons responding to wrist and/or elbow movement were studied by mapping the receptive field, carefully isolating each joint during testing. There were no significant differences in the proportions of single and multijoint responsive neurons in the different patient groups (RestTr, ActionTr and NoTr). The borders between tactile-cutaneous, deep-kinaesthetic and voluntary cell representations in the thalamus were mapped in 74 patients and compared between the different tremor groups. A significant difference in kinaesthetic representation was found: both the RestTr and ActionTr groups had a significantly greater kinaesthetic representation than the NoTr patients. There was an expansion of kinaesthetic representation in patients with chronic increased afferent drive from tremor, without alteration in RF size. No decrease in tactile representation was found, suggesting that the increase in kinaesthetic representation does not occur at the expense of tactile representation. These data suggest that plasticity can occur at the thalamic level in humans and may contribute to the pathogenesis of tremor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z H T Kiss
- Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
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Kultas-Ilinsky K, Sivan-Loukianova E, Ilinsky IA. Reevaluation of the primary motor cortex connections with the thalamus in primates. J Comp Neurol 2003; 457:133-58. [PMID: 12541315 DOI: 10.1002/cne.10539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Six injections (approximately 1 mm in diameter) of biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) were placed in different locations of the primary motor cortex of the rhesus monkey. Anterograde and retrograde labeling patterns in the thalamus were charted and individual labeled axons traced in continuous serial sections. Both anterograde and retrograde labeling in the thalamus was extensive, spanning several millimeters mediolaterally and including ventral lateral, ventral anterior, centromedian, and centrolateral nuclei. Paracentral, mediodorsal, lateral posterior, and medial pulvinar nuclei were also labeled. Two basic types of corticothalamic axons were identified: small to medium-width, type 1 axons that formed large terminal fields with small boutons, and thick, type 2 axons that formed small terminal fields with large boutons. Within each group, subtypes were identified based on specific features of the axons and terminals: two subtypes of type 1 axons and four subtypes of type 2 axons. The results revealed multiple modes of corticothalamic connectivity: sparsely distributed type 1 axons, dense plexuses of type 1 axons, type 2 axon terminal fields either singly or in clusters, and mixed plexuses of type 1 and type 2 axons. Only some cells in the plexuses were retrogradely labeled; some plexuses did not contain any labeled neurons, and many retrogradely labeled neurons were in the regions devoid of anterograde labeling. These connectivity patterns differed between thalamic nuclei. The results revealed much more complex relationships between M1 and thalamus than were previously thought to exist. It is suggested that this connectivity is neither of exclusively a feedback nature nor perfectly reciprocal but is subserved by a multitude of channels, most likely originating from different populations of cortical neurons, and feeding into a variety of functionally different neuronal networks, with each processing specific information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristy Kultas-Ilinsky
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
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Taktakishvili O, Sivan-Loukianova E, Kultas-Ilinsky K, Ilinsky IA. Posterior parietal cortex projections to the ventral lateral and some association thalamic nuclei in Macaca mulatta. Brain Res Bull 2002; 59:135-50. [PMID: 12379444 DOI: 10.1016/s0361-9230(02)00857-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
The study focused on projections from the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) to the ventral lateral thalamic nucleus (VL) and three thalamic association nuclei, mediodorsal (MD), lateral posterior (LP) and pulvinar. For light microscopic analysis small biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) or biocytin injections were placed in midrostral and dorsal portions of the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), respectively. The distribution of anterograde and retrograde labeling was charted, and representative axons and terminal fields were reconstructed in the sagittal plane to examine their features. Two types of fibers were identified--those of thin diameter forming diffuse terminal fields with small boutons, and thick fibers forming focal terminal fields with large boutons. Area PFG injection of BDA resulted in labeling of both types of fibers in LP, MD, and pulvinar, whereas only fibers of the first type were found in VL. Biocytin injection in area Opt resulted in preferential labeling of large fibers terminating in LP and pulvinar. Further electron microscopic analysis of labeled boutons in VL and LP, following a large wheat germ agglutinin conjugated horseradish peroxidase injection in the middle of IPL, confirmed the existence of small and large corticothalamic boutons and their different termination sites: the small boutons formed synapses on distal dendrites while the large boutons were found close to somata of thalamocortical projection neurons, on the dendrites of local circuit neurons and in complex synaptic arrangements, such as glomeruli. The results demonstrate that projections from small loci of the PPC to functionally and connectionally different thalamic nuclei differ anatomically, implying a different functional impact on these diverse targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Otar Taktakishvili
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
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New intrathalamic pathways allowing modality-related and cross-modality switching in the dorsal thalamus. J Neurosci 2002. [PMID: 12351751 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.22-19-08754.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmission through the dorsal thalamus involves nuclei that convey different aspects of sensory or motor information. Cells in the dorsal thalamus are strongly inhibited by the GABAergic cells of the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). Here we show that stimulation of cells in specific dorsal thalamic nuclei evokes robust IPSCs or IPSPs in other specific dorsal thalamic nuclei and vice versa. These IPSCs are GABA(A) receptor-mediated currents and are consistent with the activation of disynaptic intrathalamic pathways mediated by TRN. Thus, cells engaged in sensory analyses in the ventrobasal complex or the medial division of the posterior complex can interact with cells responsive to sensory events in the caudal intralaminar nuclei, whereas cells engaged in motor analyses in the ventrolateral nucleus can interact with cells responsive to motor events in the rostral intralaminar nuclei. Furthermore, sensory event-related cells in the caudal intralaminar nuclei can interact with motor event-related cells in the rostral intralaminar nuclei. In addition, single cells in one dorsal thalamic nucleus can receive convergent inhibitory inputs after stimulation of cells in two or more other dorsal thalamic nuclei, and TRN-mediated inhibitory inputs can momentarily switch off tonic firing of action potentials in dorsal thalamic cells. Our findings provide the first direct evidence for a rich network of intrathalamic pathways that allows modality-related and cross-modality inhibitory modulation between dorsal thalamic nuclei. Moreover, TRN-mediated switching between dorsal thalamic nuclei could provide a mechanism for the selection of competing transmissions of sensory and/or motor information through the dorsal thalamus.
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Thalamic relay nuclei of the basal ganglia form both reciprocal and nonreciprocal cortical connections, linking multiple frontal cortical areas. J Neurosci 2002. [PMID: 12223566 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.22-18-08117.2002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 259] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Thalamic relay nuclei transmit basal ganglia output to the frontal cortex, forming the last link in corticobasal ganglia circuitry. The thalamus regulates cortical activity through differential laminar connections, providing not only feedback, but also initiating "feedforward" loops, via nonreciprocal projections, that influence higher cortical areas. This study examines the organization of thalamic connections with cortex from basal ganglia relay nuclei, including ventral anterior (VA), ventral lateral (VL), and mediodorsal (MD) nuclei, in the Macaque monkey. Anterograde and bidirectional tracer injections ([3H]-amino acids, dextran conjugates of Fluorescein, Lucifer Yellow or FluoroRuby, or wheat germ agglutinin) into discrete VA/VL, MD, and frontal cortical sites demonstrate specific thalamocortical connections. VL projections target caudal motor areas (primary, supplementary, and caudal premotor areas), whereas VA projections target more rostral premotor areas (including cingulate and presupplementary motor areas) and MD projects to dorsolateral and orbital prefrontal cortices. Thalamocortical projections innervate cortical layers I and III, and to a lesser extent, layer V. In motor areas layer I projections are more extensive than those to layer III (and V). The complex laminar organization of projections from specific thalamic sites suggests differential regulation of cortical function. Injections of bidirectional tracers into thalamic and frontal cortical sites also show that in comparison to thalamocortical projections, corticothalamic projections to VA-VL and MD are more widespread. These findings demonstrate both reciprocal and nonreciprocal components to the thalamo-cortico-thalamic relay. Together, these experiments indicate a dual role for VA-VL and MD nuclei: (1) to relay basal ganglia output within specific cortical circuits and (2) to mediate information flow between cortical circuits.
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Minamimoto T, Kimura M. Participation of the thalamic CM-Pf complex in attentional orienting. J Neurophysiol 2002; 87:3090-101. [PMID: 12037210 DOI: 10.1152/jn.2002.87.6.3090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The centre médian-parafascicular (CM-Pf) complex is located at the posterior intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus and forms part of the nonspecific thalamocortical projection system and the internal circuit of the basal ganglia. However, the functional roles of this complex remain to be fully elucidated. Here we have examined whether the CM-Pf complex is involved in the process of covert attention. We trained two macaque monkeys to perform a task in which a visual target stimulus for button release appeared at either the same location as the preceding visual instruction cue (a "validly cued target") or a location on the opposite side (an "invalidly cued target"). Reaction times (RTs) to a validly cued target were significantly shorter than those to an invalidly cued target, leading to a "validity effect" of about 20 ms. We recorded the activity of 97 neurons in the CM-Pf while the monkeys performed the attention task with the hand that was contralateral to the neuronal recording. Seventy CM-Pf neurons showed task-related activity after the appearance of either the instruction cue or the target stimulus: 33 neurons responded with a prominent short-latency facilitation (SLF), whereas 37 responded with a short-latency suppression followed by a long-latency facilitation (LLF). Most of the SLF neurons responded preferentially to a cue appearing on the contralateral side (76%) and to an invalidly cued target appearing on the contralateral side (61%). In contrast, LLF neurons showed a short-latency suppression after the cue stimulus, regardless of whether the cue appeared on the contra- or ipsilateral side (84%). Inactivating the CM-Pf complex by local injection (1 microl) of the GABA(A) receptor agonist muscimol (1-5 microg/microl) resulted in a significant increase in the RT to a validly cued target presented on the contra- but not the ipsilateral side. In contrast, inactivating the CM-Pf complex did not affect RTs to invalidly cued targets on either the contra- or the ipsilateral side. Thus the validity effect was abolished only on the contralateral side. We conclude that the CM-Pf complex plays a specific and essential role in the process of attentional orienting to external events occurring on the contralateral side, probably through the projection of primary outputs to the striatum, which is involved in the action-selection mechanisms of the basal ganglia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takafumi Minamimoto
- Department of Physiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
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Ilinsky IA, Kultas-Ilinsky K. Motor thalamic circuits in primates with emphasis on the area targeted in treatment of movement disorders. Mov Disord 2002; 17 Suppl 3:S9-14. [PMID: 11948750 DOI: 10.1002/mds.10137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The ventral region of the motor thalamus that receives cerebellar afferents has been and still is the target of stereotactic interventions for movement disorders. According to Hassler, this area includes ventro-oralis posterior (Vop) and ventral intermedius (Vim) nuclei, although some investigators believe that Vop is associated with the pallidothalamic pathway. We sought to correlate our experimental data on distribution of nigral, pallidal, and cerebellar afferents to the monkey thalamus with Hassler's motor thalamic parcelations. We concluded that Hassler's parcelations retained their value, although some adjustments were needed to relate them to the current neuroanatomic data; particularly, the cerebellothalamic zone that represents the monkey ventral lateral nucleus (VL) corresponds topographically to Hassler's Vop, Vim, and most of Voi. Electron microscopic tracing studies have shown very complex circuitry in this region of the monkey thalamus, as the cerebellar and cortical afferents innervating it are engaged in complex synapses with thalamocortical projection neurons, and this interaction is strongly modulated by local circuit neurons and the input from the reticular thalamic nucleus, which are both inhibitory and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic. Spinothalamic afferents also reach the VL, but this input is less studied in the monkey. The circuitry subserving the activity of thalamocortical projection neurons in the VL should be considered while interpreting the functional data obtained in stereotactic surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor A Ilinsky
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242, USA.
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Abstract
There is little debate that deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been an effective tool in the treatment of Parkinson's disease as well as other movement disorders. There remains however, considerable debate concerning the mechanism(s) underlying its beneficial effect. The comparable effect of stimulation to ablation in the thalamus on tremor, and in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) on the motor signs associated with PD, have led many investigators to conclude that DBS acts to suppress neuronal activity, decreasing output from the stimulated site. There are, however, data that do not support this argument. Microdialysis studies in GPi showed increased levels of glutamate during STN stimulation, suggesting activation of glutamatergic output from the STN to the GPi. Studies in parkinsonian primates have demonstrated increased mean discharge rates of neurons in GPi during chronic stimulation in STN, and GPi stimulation in humans has been associated with a suppression of neuronal activity in the thalamus. Contrary to what one would expect if stimulation inhibits output from the stimulated structure, stimulation in GPe has been demonstrated to improve bradykinesia. Although arguments for increased output from the stimulated structure seem to conflict with the hypothesis that stimulation acts to inhibit neuronal activity, it is possible to explain these observations through a common mechanism, e.g. activation of fiber pathways. Based on this mechanism, the effect of stimulation on cellular activity in the stimulated site would be increased or decreased dependent on the neurotransmitter of the afferent fibers projecting to that site. However, in addition to activation of afferent fibers, projection axons from neurons in the stimulated structure, also readily excitable by electrical stimulation, would also be tonically activated and discharge independently of the soma, thereby increasing output from the structure during extracellular stimulation. Thus, although high frequency stimulation may inhibit neurons via activation of inhibitory afferents, the output from that structure may be increased as the result of activation of axonal elements leaving the target structure. This hypothesis would explain the present experimental results, is consistent with excitability profiles of neuronal elements based on their biophysical properties, and fits with more recent models emphasizing the role of altered patterns of neuronal activity in the development of hypokinetic and hyperkinetic movement disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerrold L Vitek
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Woodruff Memorial Research Building, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA.
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Lenz FA, Jaeger CJ, Seike MS, Lin YC, Reich SG. Single-neuron analysis of human thalamus in patients with intention tremor and other clinical signs of cerebellar disease. J Neurophysiol 2002; 87:2084-94. [PMID: 11929926 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00049.2001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Tremor that occurs as a result of a cerebellar lesion, cerebellar tremor, is characteristically an intention tremor. Thalamic activity may be related to cerebellar tremor because transmission of some cerebellar efferent signals occurs via the thalamus and cortex to the periphery. We have now studied thalamic neuronal activity in a cerebellar relay nucleus (ventral intermediate-Vim) and a pallidal relay nucleus (ventralis oral posterior-Vop) during thalamotomy in patients with intention tremor and other clinical signs of cerebellar disease (tremor patients). The activity of single neurons and the simultaneous electromyographic (EMG) activity of the contralateral upper extremity in tremor patients performing a pointing task were analyzed by spectral cross-correlation analysis. EMG spectra during intention tremor often showed peaks of activity in the tremor-frequency range (1.9-5.8 Hz). There were significant differences in thalamic neuronal activity between tremor patients and controls. Neurons in Vim and Vop had significantly lower firing rates in tremor patients than in patients undergoing thalamic surgery for pain (pain controls). Other studies have shown that inputs to Vim from the cerebellum are transmitted through excitatory connections. Therefore the present results suggest that tremor in these tremor patients is associated with deafferentation of the thalamus from cerebellar efferent pathways. The thalamic X EMG cross-correlation functions were studied for cells located in Vim and Vop. Neuronal and EMG activity were as likely to be significantly correlated for cells in Vim as for those in Vop. Cells in Vim were more likely to have a phase lag relative to EMG than were cells in Vop. In monkeys, cells in the cerebellar relay nucleus of the thalamus, corresponding to Vim, are reported to lead movement during active oscillations at the wrist. In view of these monkey studies, the present results suggest that cells in Vim are deafferented and have a phase lag relative to tremor that is not found in normal active oscillations. The difference in phase of thalamic spike X EMG activity between Vim and Vop may contribute to tremor because lesions of pallidum or Vop are reported to relieve cerebellar tremor.
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Affiliation(s)
- F A Lenz
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland 21278-7713, USA.
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Matsumoto N, Minamimoto T, Graybiel AM, Kimura M. Neurons in the thalamic CM-Pf complex supply striatal neurons with information about behaviorally significant sensory events. J Neurophysiol 2001; 85:960-76. [PMID: 11160526 DOI: 10.1152/jn.2001.85.2.960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 324] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The projection from the thalamic centre médian-parafascicular (CM-Pf) complex to the caudate nucleus and putamen forms a massive striatal input system in primates. We examined the activity of 118 neurons in the CM and 62 neurons in the Pf nuclei of the thalamus and 310 tonically active neurons (TANs) in the striatum in awake behaving macaque monkeys and analyzed the effects of pharmacologic inactivation of the CM-Pf on the sensory responsiveness of the striatal TANs. A large proportion of CM and Pf neurons responded to visual (53%) and/or auditory beep (61%) or click (91%) stimuli presented in behavioral tasks, and many responded to unexpected auditory, visual, or somatosensory stimuli presented outside the task context. The neurons fell into two classes: those having short-latency facilitatory responses (SLF neurons, predominantly in the Pf) and those having long-latency facilitatory responses (LLF neurons, predominantly in the CM). Responses of both types of neuron appeared regardless of whether or not the sensory stimuli were associated with reward. These response characteristics of CM-Pf neurons sharply contrasted with those of TANs in the striatum, which under the same conditions responded preferentially to stimuli associated with reward. Many CM-Pf neurons responded to alerting stimuli such as unexpected handclaps and noises only for the first few times that they occurred; after that, the identical stimuli gradually became ineffective in evoking responses. Habituation of sensory responses was particularly common for the LLF neurons. Inactivation of neuronal activity in the CM and Pf by local infusion of the GABA(A) receptor agonist, muscimol, almost completely abolished the pause and rebound facilitatory responses of TANs in the striatum. Such injections also diminished behavioral responses to stimuli associated with reward. We suggest that neurons in the CM and Pf supply striatal neurons with information about behaviorally significant sensory events that can activate conditional responses of striatal neurons in combination with dopamine-mediated nigrostriatal inputs having motivational value.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Matsumoto
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
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Mason A, Ilinsky IA, Maldonado S, Kultas-Ilinsky K. Thalamic terminal fields of individual axons from the ventral part of the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum inMacaca mulatta. J Comp Neurol 2000. [DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9861(20000605)421:3<412::aid-cne9>3.0.co;2-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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