Human subthalamic nucleus activity during non-motor decision making.
Human subthalamic nucleus activity during non-motor decision making.
复制标题
在非运动决策过程中,人丘脑核核活性。
DOI:
10.7554/elife.31007
复制
发表时间:
2017-12-15
期刊:
影响因子:
7.7
通讯作者:
Zaghloul KA
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Zavala BA;Jang AI;Zaghloul KA
Recent studies have implicated the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in decisions that involve inhibiting movements. Many of the decisions that we make in our daily lives, however, do not involve any motor actions. We studied non-motor decision making by recording intraoperative STN and prefrontal cortex (PFC) electrophysiology as participants perform a novel task that required them to decide whether to encode items into working memory. During all encoding trials, beta band (15–30 Hz) activity decreased in the STN and PFC, and this decrease was progressively enhanced as more items were stored into working memory. Crucially, the STN and lateral PFC beta decrease was significantly attenuated during the trials in which participants were instructed not to encode the presented stimulus. These changes were associated with increase lateral PFC-STN coherence and altered STN neuronal spiking. Our results shed light on why states of altered basal ganglia activity disrupt both motor function and cognition. Should I run to catch the bus, or wait for the next one? Deciding whether or not to move may be a common part of our life, but many decisions we make every day do not involve any physical activity, such as deciding whether something is important or not. But does the brain distinguish between decisions involving movement and those without? Previous research has shown that a cluster of neurons called the basal ganglia and a region within these clusters called the subthalamic nucleus play a critical role in both movement and decision-making that involves activity. The basal ganglia are widely connected to other regions in the brain such as the prefrontal cortex, which is important for decision making and forming associated memories. Therefore, scientists think that the basal ganglia may also play a role in making decisions that do not involve movement, such as deciding whether to pay attention and form relevant memories. Indeed, in patients with Parkinson’s disease – a condition that damages parts of the brain and affects their movement – the degree of physical impairment correlates with their memory deficits. To test this, Zavala et al. recorded the activity of the subthalamic nucleus and the prefrontal cortex of patients with Parkinson's disease while they performed a task that required them to decide whether to remember something or not. The recordings were taken as the patients underwent ‘deep brain stimulation surgery’, which is used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s. The results showed that brain activity in both regions decreased during the task. This is what normally happens when people make movements, but in this case, these decreases occurred even when individuals were not moving and instead just formed memories. In addition, individuals were presented with specific items to remember and others to forget. When they were presented with items to forget, the activity rebounded back to its original levels. Similar activity patterns have also been observed when individuals decided to stop a movement. This confirms that the subthalamic nucleus plays a role in decision-making and shows that this area is involved in decisions, even when they do not involve a movement. A full understanding of the purpose of the subthalamic nucleus and basal ganglia will help us understand why changes in the activity of basal ganglia leads to the memory and movement deficits seen in Parkinson’s disease.