Bursts and oscillations as independent properties of neural activity in the parkinsonian globus pallidus internus

Bursts and oscillatory modulations in firing rate are hallmark features of abnormal neuronal activity in the parkinsonian Globus Pallidus internus (GPi). Although often implicated together in the pathophysiology of parkinsonian signs, little is known about how burst discharges and oscillatory firing (OF) relate to each other. To investigate this question, extracellular single-unit neuronal activity was recorded from 132 GPi cells in 14 Parkinson's disease patients. We found that burst firing was equally prevalent in OF and non-oscillatory firing (NOF) cells (p > 0.5). More than half of the cells were characterized by either aperiodic bursty activity or OF, but not both. OF and NOF cells had statistically-indistinguishable levels of mean burstiness (p = 0.8). Even when bursting and OF co-existed in individual cells, levels of burstiness and oscillatory power were seldom correlated across time. Interestingly, however, the few OF cells with spectral peaks between 8–13 Hz (α-range) were substantially burstier than other cells (p < 0.01) and showed an unique burst morphology and stronger temporal correlations between oscillatory power and burstiness. We conclude that independent mechanisms may underlie the burst discharges and OF typical of most neurons in the parkinsonian GPi.

Research Highlights
► Bursts and oscillatory activity in the parkinsonian GPi occur independently.
► Cells with α-range oscillations are very bursty.
► Cells with α-range oscillations have a distinct burst morphology.