Characterisation of tremor-associated local field potentials in the subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson’s disease

  1. Christiane Reck1,2,
  2. Esther Florin2,3,
  3. Lars Wojtecki1,
  4. Holger Krause1,
  5. Stefan Groiss1,
  6. Jürgen Voges4,5,
  7. Mohammad Maarouf4,
  8. Volker Sturm4,
  9. Alfons Schnitzler1,6,
  10. Lars Timmermann2

Article first published online: 29 JAN 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2008.06597.x

Issue

European Journal of Neuroscience

European Journal of Neuroscience

Volume 29, Issue 3, pages 599–612, February 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Reck, C., Florin, E., Wojtecki, L., Krause, H., Groiss, S., Voges, J., Maarouf, M., Sturm, V., Schnitzler, A. and Timmermann, L. (2009), Characterisation of tremor-associated local field potentials in the subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson’s disease. European Journal of Neuroscience, 29: 599–612. doi: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2008.06597.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Neurology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany

  2. 2

    Department of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann-Str. 9, 50924 Cologne, Germany

  3. 3

    Institute of Neuroscience and Biophysics-Medicine, Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

  4. 4

    Department of Stereotactic Neurosurgery, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany

  5. 5

    Department of Stereotactic Neurosurgery, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany

  6. 6

    Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology, Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany

*Professor Lars Timmermann, 2Department of Neurology, as above. E-mail: lars.timmermann@uk-koeln.de or Dr Christiane Reck, 2Department of Neurology, as above. E-mail: christiane.reck@uk-koeln.de

  1. Disclosure: The authors have reported no conflicts of interest.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 2 FEB 2009
  2. Article first published online: 29 JAN 2009
  3. Received 5 July 2008, revised 12 November 2008, accepted 25 November 2008

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Keywords:

  • coherence;
  • deep brain stimulation;
  • human

Abstract

We simultaneously recorded local field potentials (LFPs) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and surface electromyographic signals (EMGs) from the extensor and flexor muscles of the contralateral forearm in eight patients with idiopathic tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease (resting tremor) during the bilateral implantation of deep brain stimulation electrodes. Recordings were made at different heights (in 0.5- to 2.0-mm steps beginning outside the STN) using up to five concentrically configured macroelectrodes (2 mm apart). The patients were instructed to relax their contralateral forearm (rest condition). We analysed the coherence between tremor EMGs and STN LFPs, which showed significant tremor-associated coupling at single tremor and double tremor frequencies. Moreover, the EMG–LFP coherences were characterised by differences between antagonistic muscles (flexor, extensor) and by the spatial distribution of LFPs within the STN. Coherence at single and double tremor frequencies occurred significantly more frequently within STN than above STN (in the zona incerta). In this study, we were able to show that, within STN, tremor-associated LFP activity varied with spatial distribution and with the contralateral antagonistic forearm muscles. These findings suggest the existence of distribution- and muscle-specific tremor-associated LFP activity at different tremor frequencies and an organisation of tremor-related subloops within the STN.

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