3D representation of beta connectivity between the site of stimulation (subthalamic nucleus, STN) and the cerebral cortex and schematic representation of connectivity over time. The Big Brain Atlas is shown in the background
Image Credit: Dr Bahne Bahners, Amunts et al. 2013. science
Scientific Frontline: "At a Glance" Summary
- Main Discovery: Identification of a specific brain network operating in the fast beta frequency range that serves as the optimal target for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in treating Parkinson's disease.
- Methodology: Researchers simultaneously recorded brain signals using implanted DBS electrodes and magnetoencephalography (MEG) across 100 brain hemispheres from 50 patients to map functional connectivity between deep and superficial brain structures in both space and time.
- Key Data: The critical therapeutic network communicates primarily within the 20 to 35 Hz frequency band; the strength of this specific connection directly correlated with the degree of relief from motor symptoms.
- Significance: This study bridges the historical gap between electrophysiology and brain imaging, providing the first characterization of the DBS response network that accounts for both spatial location and temporal synchronization simultaneously.
- Future Application: Findings allow for precise, individualized calibration of DBS settings to target this specific network rhythm, particularly for patients who currently derive suboptimal benefit from standard stimulation protocols.
- Branch of Science: Computational Neurology and Electrophysiology.
- Additional Detail: The therapeutic effect is mediated by a specific communication channel linking the subthalamic nucleus to the frontal regions of the cerebral cortex.
Deep brain stimulation is a key procedure in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Researchers have now identified the optimal target network in the human brain
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) improves motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease by modulating a specific brain network that is mainly active in the fast beta frequency range (20 to 35 Hz). This conclusion was reached by an interdisciplinary team of neuroscientists and clinicians from the University Hospitals of Cologne and Düsseldorf, Harvard Medical School and Charité Berlin. The study ‘The Deep Brain Stimulation Response Network in Parkinson's Disease Operates in the High Beta Band’ in the journal Brain is the first to bridge the gap between two ways of analyzing DBS response that were previously widely separate: electrophysiology and brain imaging.
“For the first time, we were able to characterize the DBS response network in Parkinson's disease in terms of space and time, simultaneously," says Professor Dr Andreas Horn from the University of Cologne, who led the study and specializes in computational neurology. "We show that Parkinson's disease can best be treated if we stimulate a very precisely defined network. This network operates synchronized within a specific frequency band and explains how well patients respond to deep brain stimulation.”
Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus is an established treatment method for alleviating motor symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease by delivering small electric pulses to deep regions of the brain. Whereas previous imaging studies have shown where in the brain the stimulation works best, and electrophysiological studies described the frequency of the underlying signals, no study has yet been able to capture both dimensions simultaneously in space and time.
The research team analyzed data from a large multi-center cohort with one hundred brain hemispheres from fifty patients. Using brain signals that were simultaneously recorded via the implanted DBS electrode and magnetoencephalography (MEG), the scientists mapped the functional connectivity between the deep and superficial areas of the brain.
The study showed that the relevant network between the subthalamic nucleus and frontal brain regions largely communicates at a comparatively fast frequency (20-35 Hz). The strength of this connection explains how well the motor symptoms of individual patients improved after electrode implantation.
"These results suggest that a certain rhythm of the brain acts as a communication channel between the subthalamic nucleus and the cerebral cortex and may mediate the therapeutic effects of deep brain stimulation," explains Dr Bahne Bahners, first author of the study, who works at Düsseldorf University Hospital. "By stimulating regions that are connected to the identified network, we will probably be able to adjust DBS settings more precisely in the future, especially in patients who have not yet benefited optimally from deep brain stimulation."
In the future, the researchers plan to take a closer look at the causal effects of deep brain stimulation on brain networks. Studies to this effect are currently being conducted.
Funding: The study was largely funded by the Professor Klaus Thiemann Foundation.
Published in journal: Brain
Title: The deep brain stimulation response network in Parkinson’s disease operates in the high beta band
Authors: Bahne H Bahners, Lukas L Goede, Patricia Zvarova, Garance M Meyer, Konstantin Butenko, Roxanne Lofredi, Nanditha Rajamani, Frederic L W V J Schaper, Clemens Neudorfer, Barbara Hollunder, Julianna Pijar, Savir Madan, Lauren A Hart, Matthias Sure, Alexandra Steina, Fayed Rassoulou, Christian J Hartmann, Markus Butz, Jan Hirschmann, Jan Vesper, Katharina Faust, Gerd-Helge Schneider, Tilmann H Sander, Wolf-Julian Neumann, Michael D Fox, Kai J Miller, Alfons Schnitzler, Andrea A Kühn, Esther Florin, and Andreas Horn
Source/Credit: University of Cologne
Reference Number: ns020626_01
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