gms | German Medical Science

63rd Annual Meeting of the German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)
Joint Meeting with the Japanese Neurosurgical Society (JNS)

German Society of Neurosurgery (DGNC)

13 - 16 June 2012, Leipzig

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Basal ganglia oscillations during gait in Parkinson patients

Meeting Abstract

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  • A. Singh - Neurologische Universitätsklinik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • J.H. Mehrkens - Neurochirurgische Universitätsklinik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • S. Kammermeier - Neurologische Universitätsklinik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • A. Plate - Neurologische Universitätsklinik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • J. Ilmberger - Klinik für Physikalische Medizin, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
  • K. Boetzel - Neurologische Universitätsklinik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. Japanische Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie. 63. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Japanischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (JNS). Leipzig, 13.-16.06.2012. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2012. DocP 043

doi: 10.3205/12dgnc430, urn:nbn:de:0183-12dgnc4305

Published: June 4, 2012

© 2012 Singh et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

Text

Objective: Local field potential (LFP) oscillations in the 13–30 Hz frequency band are related to the pathophysiology of the basal ganglia of Parkinson's disease with beta activity in LFP being reduced in PD patients during movement or following medication. The current study was performed based on the hypothesis that these pathophysiological oscillations modulate during gait in Parkinson's disease while subjects experience freezing and non-freezing phenomena.

Methods: We recorded LFPs from (still externalized) deep brain stimulation electrodes implanted into the subthalamic nucleus (STN) of 6 Parkinson patients during rest (sitting and standing condition) and gait (walking condition) on a treadmill machine with preferred velocity. Parkinson patients were grouped into subjects without freezing i.e. non-freezer (n=3) and subjects with freezing i.e. freezer (n=3). LFP signals were sampled at 2.5 kHz and filtered (band passed) at 1–90 Hz.

Results: LFP power in the 13–20 Hz (low beta) frequency band was diminished during gait in non-freezing Parkinson subjects, while freezing subjects had a prominent 13–20 Hz peak during gait compared with the resting condition.

Conclusions: Prominent low beta frequency activity may be causal for gait impairment or freezing of gait. Non-freezers had low beta frequency peaks during rest but were able to “reduce” this type of activity during walking. In freezers, this activity became prominent during walking. Possibly different modes of basal ganglia functions are accompanied by separate prominent rhythms and PD patients are not capable of switching these modes in a way which would be necessary for the smooth performance of the desired movement.