Objective: To examine how levodopa pharmacodynamics and therapeutic deep brain stimulation (DBS) shape beta sub-band composition and gamma oscillations in the subthalamic nucleus (STN), and link these spectral patterns to motor outcomes.
Background: STN beta synchrony is a hallmark of dopamine deficiency in Parkinson’s disease (PD), yet functional distinctions between low beta (13–<20 Hz) and high beta (20–35 Hz) remain undercharacterized across the levodopa cycle and clinically relevant postoperative conditions. Whether narrowband gamma (60–90 Hz) retains consistent clinical relevance under therapeutic stimulation is also unclear.
Method: STN local field potentials were recorded in 17 PD patients with sensing-enabled DBS at three postoperative stages: early off-stimulation (day 2–5), early therapeutic stimulation (day 6–9), and 3-month follow-up (stimulation on). Within each stage, six standardized post-dose recordings were obtained (pre-dose, 20 min, 40 min, 1 h, 2 h, 3 h). Total, low-, and high-beta power, beta sub-band fractions, and 60–90 Hz gamma were quantified and related to MDS-UPDRS III and dyskinesia scores.
Results: Levodopa suppressed whole beta power but more strongly attenuated low beta, shifting spectral peaks toward high beta. Therapeutic DBS produced additional beta reduction, driven preferentially by high-beta suppression—a pattern dissociable from medication effects. Levodopa-related trajectories were consistent across postoperative stages. Under matched medication state, cross-condition motor improvement correlated with the magnitude of high-beta fraction decrease (r=0.667, p=0.003). Gamma power rose after levodopa. Narrowband gamma peak strength in the off-stimulation state correlated with dyskinesia severity (r=0.554, p=0.002), but this relationship was absent under therapeutic DBS.
Conclusion: Levodopa and DBS exert dissociable effects on beta sub-band composition. Beta compositional redistribution—rather than total power—tracks clinical improvement longitudinally. Gamma biomarkers require stimulation-context-dependent interpretation. Beta composition metrics may support longitudinal monitoring and biomarker-guided DBS programming.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Q. Li, K. Wang, X. Jia, J. Li, X. Zhang, Y. Shan, A. Kühn, M. Tuersun, Y. Zhang, B. Niu, N. Li, J. Wu, G. Zhao, Y. Zhang. Subthalamic Beta Sub-band Composition and Gamma Dynamics Across Medication and Stimulation States in Parkinson’s Disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/subthalamic-beta-sub-band-composition-and-gamma-dynamics-across-medication-and-stimulation-states-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/subthalamic-beta-sub-band-composition-and-gamma-dynamics-across-medication-and-stimulation-states-in-parkinsons-disease/