Session Information
Date: Monday, June 20, 2016
Session Title: Surgical therapy: Parkinson's disease
Session Time: 12:30pm-2:00pm
Location: Exhibit Hall located in Hall B, Level 2
Objective: To investigate the activity of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) during gait in subjects with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Background: Gait disturbance is a key component of motor disability in PD patients. In an effort to further elucidate the role of the basal ganglia in locomotion, we investigated the interplay between striatal dopaminergic deficiency, the pathophysiological hallmark of PD, and the STN activity during steady state walking in subjects with PD. With regards to the STN, we specifically focused on β-activity (13-30Hz), which is implicated in rigidity and bradykinesia and it is modulated during movement execution in PD.
Methods: We recorded Local Field Potentials (LFPs) in the STNs of eight PD patients by means of Activa PC+S (Medtronic) and compared β-band frequency power (±5Hz to patient frequency peak) during walking, resting and standing conditions. Walking and standing were characterized with a motion capture system (SIMI). We also recorded muscular activity of the tibialis anterior and soleus muscles by means of a surface EMG (Zebris). Subjects performed at least three walking trials at their preferred velocity along a 7-meter walkway. Recordings were performed in stimulation-off (for 60 min) and medication-off (overnight suspension of all dopaminergic drugs). Striatal dopaminergic innervation was measured with FP-CIT and SPECT. STNs were distinguished in STN- and +, according to their lower/higher striatal-specific binding ratio.
Results: The main and most relevant finding of our study was a β-activity modulation during walking in all PD patients (walking vs. resting, STN-: -66% and STN+: -47%; walking vs. standing, STN-: -36% and STN+: -8%).
Conclusions: Our data support the hypothesis of β-synchrony reduction during movement and the involvement of the STN during locomotion. We also described a possible relation between β-activity and dopamine level. Indeed, STN- showed a significantly greater β-activity modulation during walking than STN+.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
A. Leporini, G. Arnulfo, N.G. Pozzi, C. Palmisano, J. Brumberg, A. Canessa, C.A. Frigo, G. Pezzoli, F. Steigerwald, J. Volkmann, I.U. Isaias. The subthalamic nucleus activity during gait in Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2016; 31 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-subthalamic-nucleus-activity-during-gait-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed May 17, 2025.« Back to 2016 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-subthalamic-nucleus-activity-during-gait-in-parkinsons-disease/