Our goal is to investigate the cellular and local network dynamics of neurons in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) when stimulated with deep brain stimulation (DBS). This effort is part of larger goals to understand the neurophysiological mechanism of DBS, and how DBS changes motor processing in the human brain.

Although DBS is a well-established treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and movement disorders, its mechanisms are poorly understood. There is a knowledge gap regarding if DBS affects the brain on a cellular versus a network level (McIntyre et al. 2004; Lozano et al. 2019). Here, we examine individual neurons, local circuits, and network relationships in the STN and cortex with DBS.

In our preliminary results, DBS does not change the firing rate of neurons in the STN. The LFP in the STN aligned on APs from a neuron in the STN shows increased power in the alpha frequency band when stimulated at a clinically relevant frequency (140 Hz).

Our results provide insight into the effects of DBS on neural tissue. This data suggests that DBS acts at the network level because of the lack of effect on STN neuron firing and the changes in AP-LFP relationship. Understanding the electrophysiological changes in neural circuits with DBS will advance our understanding of the mechanisms of DBS in the cortico-thalamic-basal ganglia circuit and provide insight into DBS and neural pathology.