Alpha and high beta subthalamic intermittent activity correlates with freezing of gait severity in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Introduction: Freezing of gait (FOG) is a disabling symptom that affects over half of Parkinson’s disease patients (PD) and hinders the ability to walk. Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) effectiveness in ameliorating the FOG remains controversial, lacking a reliable electrophysiological biomarker from local field potentials (LFP). Methods: The LFP-STN rhythms bandpower and dynamics were characterized at rest across groups in a cohort of 23 patients (14 with FOG, and 9 without, n-FOG). Results: FOG patients presented enhanced alpha bandpower (FOG vs. n-FOG: 0.331 ± 0.087 vs. 0.248 ± 0.089; p = 0.011) and intermittent (burst) alpha amplitude (FOG vs. n-FOG: 0.610 ± 0.068 vs. 0.524 ± 0.086; p = 0.005). Both intermittent alpha (r = 0.330, p = 0.046) and intermittent high beta amplitude (r = 0.415, p = 0.011) correlated with the FOG score. Alpha burst amplitude correlated with FOG severity (r = 0.479, p = 0.003), and high beta burst amplitude inversely correlated (r = −0.411, p = 0.014) with the performance-oriented mobility assessment (POMA) index. Conclusion: These results suggest that alpha and high beta subthalamic oscillations impact FOG symptoms. Significance: The investigation suggests potentially newer co-biomarkers of FOG to guide multi-rhythm paradigms in DBS treatment.