MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Abteen Mostofi
Neurosciences Research Centre, Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George’s University of London, London, United Kingdom
Emilie Syed
MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Flavie Torrecillos
MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Gerd Tinkhauser
MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Department of Neurology, Bern University Hospital and University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Alek Pogosyan
MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Harutomo Hasegawa
Department of Neurosurgery, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, King's Health Partners, London, United Kingdom
Yuanqing Li
School of Automation Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
Keyoumars Ashkan
Department of Neurosurgery, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, King's Health Partners, London, United Kingdom
Erlick Pereira
Neurosciences Research Centre, Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George’s University of London, London, United Kingdom
MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit at the University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
Previous studies have explored neurofeedback training for Parkinsonian patients to suppress beta oscillations in the subthalamic nucleus (STN). However, its impacts on movements and Parkinsonian tremor are unclear. We developed a neurofeedback paradigm targeting STN beta bursts and investigated whether neurofeedback training could improve motor initiation in Parkinson’s disease compared to passive observation. Our task additionally allowed us to test which endogenous changes in oscillatory STN activities are associated with trial-to-trial motor performance. Neurofeedback training reduced beta synchrony and increased gamma activity within the STN, and reduced beta band coupling between the STN and motor cortex. These changes were accompanied by reduced reaction times in subsequently cued movements. However, in Parkinsonian patients with pre-existing symptoms of tremor, successful volitional beta suppression was associated with an amplification of tremor which correlated with theta band activity in STN local field potentials, suggesting an additional cross-frequency interaction between STN beta and theta activities.
