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Neurobiology

Oscillations in the basal ganglia

Nature volume 400, pages 621–622 (1999)Cite this article

Oscillatory discharge in subcortical regions, conveyed from the thalamus to the cortex via the thalamo-cortical network, may have powerful effects on cortical processing. To date, these changes have been studied mainly in areas of the thalamus concerned with sensory processing. For example, under conditions of little or no sensory input — such as during non-REM sleep — the oscillatory activity of the thalamo-cortical system is dominated by synchronized, low-frequency oscillations generated in the thalamus2. Waking is associated with desynchronization of thalamo-cortical activity, unmasking the less synchronized, higher-frequency4 rhythms that prevail within the cortex during wakefulness, and allowing faithful transfer of information to the cortex. Changes of cortical function on a smaller scale (such as the changes that underlie selective attention4) could be mediated by precisely controlling the degree of synchronized oscillatory activity along specific parts of the thalamo-cortical network. The time-signalling aspects of the oscillatory activity may help to coordinate activity patterns in spatially separate regions of cortex5. In this way, for instance, sensory features detected by spatially segregated areas of the cortex could be integrated perceptually (a process known as 'binding')6.

In all current models of basal ganglia function, the STN drives activity in the basal ganglia output nuclei — the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) and the pars reticula of the substantia nigra (SNr) — and is a port of entry to the basal ganglia for cortical inputs (Fig. 1). Activity changes in the STN strongly affect the average rates and occurrence of non-oscillatory bursts in the GPe and GPi7. Plenz and Kitai3 now show that the STN — and its link with the GPe — may also be important in generating synchronized oscillatory discharge in the basal ganglia. Previous brain-slice-recording studies have emphasized that individual neurons in the STN and GPe can generate oscillatory discharge through their intrinsic membrane properties8,9. In the STN, this occurs particularly during hyperpolarization8. Plenz and Kitai provide evidence that the STN/GPe circuitry may generate the necessary conditions for such burst discharges to occur and be maintained in synchrony.

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Figure 1: The basal ganglia/thalamo-cortical circuitry (simplified).

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  1. Department of Neurology, Emory University, 1639 Pierce Drive Suite 6000 Woodruff Memorial Research Building, Atlanta, 30322, Georgia, USA

    Thomas Wichmann & Mahlon R. DeLong

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Wichmann, T., DeLong, M. Oscillations in the basal ganglia. Nature 400, 621–622 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/23148

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