Mechanisms underlying decision-making as revealed by deep-brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease

To optimally balance opposing demands of speed and accuracy during decision-making, we must flexibly adapt how much evidence we require before making a choice. Such adjustments in decision thresholds have been linked to the subthalamic nucleus (STN), and therapeutic STN deep-brain stimulation (DBS)...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Herz, D, Little, S, Pedrosa, D, Tinkhauser, G, Cheeran, B, Foltynie, T, Bogacz, R, Brown, P
Format: Journal article
Published: Elsevier 2018
_version_ 1797073784719540224
author Herz, D
Little, S
Pedrosa, D
Tinkhauser, G
Cheeran, B
Foltynie, T
Bogacz, R
Brown, P
author_facet Herz, D
Little, S
Pedrosa, D
Tinkhauser, G
Cheeran, B
Foltynie, T
Bogacz, R
Brown, P
author_sort Herz, D
collection OXFORD
description To optimally balance opposing demands of speed and accuracy during decision-making, we must flexibly adapt how much evidence we require before making a choice. Such adjustments in decision thresholds have been linked to the subthalamic nucleus (STN), and therapeutic STN deep-brain stimulation (DBS) has been shown to interfere with this function. Here, we performed continuous as well as closed-loop DBS of the STN while Parkinson's disease patients performed a perceptual decision-making task. Closed-loop STN DBS allowed temporally patterned STN stimulation and simultaneous recordings of STN activity. This revealed that DBS only affected patients’ ability to adjust decision thresholds if applied in a specific temporally confined time window during deliberation. Only stimulation in that window diminished the normal slowing of response times that occurred on difficult trials when DBS was turned off. Furthermore, DBS eliminated a relative, time-specific increase in STN beta oscillations and compromised its functional relationship with trial-by-trial adjustments in decision thresholds. Together, these results provide causal evidence that the STN is involved in adjusting decision thresholds in distinct, time-limited processing windows during deliberation. In this article, Herz et al. provide causal evidence that the subthalamic nucleus mediates adjustments of decision thresholds, depending on the difficulty of the decision. This adjustment is processed during a short time window early during deliberation and is related to changes in oscillatory activity of the subthalamic nucleus.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T23:27:01Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:6ab5e54a-d780-4b5e-89e8-92e59549884d
institution University of Oxford
last_indexed 2024-03-06T23:27:01Z
publishDate 2018
publisher Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:6ab5e54a-d780-4b5e-89e8-92e59549884d2022-03-26T18:59:14ZMechanisms underlying decision-making as revealed by deep-brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's diseaseJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:6ab5e54a-d780-4b5e-89e8-92e59549884dSymplectic Elements at OxfordElsevier2018Herz, DLittle, SPedrosa, DTinkhauser, GCheeran, BFoltynie, TBogacz, RBrown, PTo optimally balance opposing demands of speed and accuracy during decision-making, we must flexibly adapt how much evidence we require before making a choice. Such adjustments in decision thresholds have been linked to the subthalamic nucleus (STN), and therapeutic STN deep-brain stimulation (DBS) has been shown to interfere with this function. Here, we performed continuous as well as closed-loop DBS of the STN while Parkinson's disease patients performed a perceptual decision-making task. Closed-loop STN DBS allowed temporally patterned STN stimulation and simultaneous recordings of STN activity. This revealed that DBS only affected patients’ ability to adjust decision thresholds if applied in a specific temporally confined time window during deliberation. Only stimulation in that window diminished the normal slowing of response times that occurred on difficult trials when DBS was turned off. Furthermore, DBS eliminated a relative, time-specific increase in STN beta oscillations and compromised its functional relationship with trial-by-trial adjustments in decision thresholds. Together, these results provide causal evidence that the STN is involved in adjusting decision thresholds in distinct, time-limited processing windows during deliberation. In this article, Herz et al. provide causal evidence that the subthalamic nucleus mediates adjustments of decision thresholds, depending on the difficulty of the decision. This adjustment is processed during a short time window early during deliberation and is related to changes in oscillatory activity of the subthalamic nucleus.
spellingShingle Herz, D
Little, S
Pedrosa, D
Tinkhauser, G
Cheeran, B
Foltynie, T
Bogacz, R
Brown, P
Mechanisms underlying decision-making as revealed by deep-brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease
title Mechanisms underlying decision-making as revealed by deep-brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease
title_full Mechanisms underlying decision-making as revealed by deep-brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease
title_fullStr Mechanisms underlying decision-making as revealed by deep-brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease
title_full_unstemmed Mechanisms underlying decision-making as revealed by deep-brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease
title_short Mechanisms underlying decision-making as revealed by deep-brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease
title_sort mechanisms underlying decision making as revealed by deep brain stimulation in patients with parkinson s disease
work_keys_str_mv AT herzd mechanismsunderlyingdecisionmakingasrevealedbydeepbrainstimulationinpatientswithparkinsonsdisease
AT littles mechanismsunderlyingdecisionmakingasrevealedbydeepbrainstimulationinpatientswithparkinsonsdisease
AT pedrosad mechanismsunderlyingdecisionmakingasrevealedbydeepbrainstimulationinpatientswithparkinsonsdisease
AT tinkhauserg mechanismsunderlyingdecisionmakingasrevealedbydeepbrainstimulationinpatientswithparkinsonsdisease
AT cheeranb mechanismsunderlyingdecisionmakingasrevealedbydeepbrainstimulationinpatientswithparkinsonsdisease
AT foltyniet mechanismsunderlyingdecisionmakingasrevealedbydeepbrainstimulationinpatientswithparkinsonsdisease
AT bogaczr mechanismsunderlyingdecisionmakingasrevealedbydeepbrainstimulationinpatientswithparkinsonsdisease
AT brownp mechanismsunderlyingdecisionmakingasrevealedbydeepbrainstimulationinpatientswithparkinsonsdisease