Objective: The objective of this study was to identify neurophysiological activity in the basal ganglia associated with depression in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Background: Depression is a prevalent source of disability in individuals with PD. Basal ganglia neural activity, particularly theta (4-7 Hz) and alpha (8-12 Hz) power in the subthalamic nucleus, has been linked to depression in PD. However, the role of the pallidum and neural activity in other frequency bands have not been fully explored.

Method: In N=50 patients with PD, we acquired 30 seconds of intraoperative resting-state local field potential recordings from the pallidum at 22 kHz sampling rate from all monopolar contacts on the DBS lead. The power spectral density was computed and normalized across patients. Preoperative off-medication Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), demographics, medications, and other psychiatric symptoms were acquired as clinical covariates.

Results: Patients with clinically elevated depression symptoms (BDI-II>=14; N=13) exhibited higher beta (12-30 Hz) power in the pallidum compared to patients without depression (BDI-II<14; N=37) (t=2.68, p=0.010) [figure1]. Beta power, particularly high beta power (20-30 Hz), was associated with depression severity, even when controlling for UPDRS scores and other possible demographic, clinical, pharmacological, and neurophysiological confounds in a generalized linear model (b=4.49, p=0.027).

Conclusion: Pallidal beta power may play a role in depression in PD. Our findings may provide new insight into the pathophysiology of depression in PD and broaden the view of beta power as a potential marker of psychiatric symptoms.

Figure 1. Beta power and depression in PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/basal-ganglia-neurophysiological-activity-associated-with-depression-in-parkinsons-disease/