I am enthusiastic to report the recent publication of our work on brain electricity in Parkinson’s Disease!
The article can be found here:
Hebb AO, Darvas F, Miller KJ. Transient and State Modulation of Beta Power in Human Subthalamic Nucleus during Speech Production and Finger Movement. Neuroscience. 2012
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.11.072
Electrical brain signals are rhythmic, and operate at many different frequencies like radio waves. There is a particular frequency band called the Beta (β) band that is increased in Parkinson’s Disease. A high beta power is thought to increase the motor signs of Parkinson’s Disease, like rigidity and tremor. In this report, we show the relationship between the strength of this rhythm (referred to as the β magnitude, or β power) and simple behaviours such as pressing a button and talking.
The subthalamic nucleus is involved in both speech and in movement, and the β power is “turned up” with repetitive movements like finger tapping.
My research focus is in the area of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) and the application of neurophysiologic signals to guide device development for DBS. This work demonstrates for the first time that the average magnitude of brain oscillations measured from the subthalamic nucleus is affected by behavior.
My vision is to further our understanding of these brain oscillations, and thereby build devices that customize DBS therapy based on the patient’s behavior inferred from these signals. Understanding subthalamic nucleus local field potentials is a first step in understanding the relationship between brain oscillations and behavior.
If you have more questions about this article, please contact me at adam.hebb@aoh.md.