Dynamical interactions between basal ganglia structures and cerebral Cortex: an in Vivo Multi-site Recording Study

Recent successful strategies in treating Parkinson's disease consist of placing selective lesions in globus pallidus or stimulating in subthalamic nucleus (deep brain stimulation). Yet the dynamical interactions between these structures are still poorly understood, and better stimulation or lesion strategies may be achievable if they were known. In the proposed studies we will obtain simultaneous electrical recordings from multiple sites in the basal ganglia of rodents. Rodents have basal ganglia just like humans, and have proven to provide a good model of studying basal ganglia activity. The activity of nerve cells in the basal ganglia will be measured in normal rats, and compared with the activity of rats that have been rendered Parkinsonian. Following this activity in multiple brain structures will allow us to determine how dynamic interactions between regions in the brain shape Parkinson's disease. The possible influence of different strategies of deep brain stimulation on these activity patterns will be examined.