Neurons in the globus pallidus do not show correlated activity in the
normal monkey, but phase-locked oscillations appear in the MPTP model of
Parkinsonism.
Nini, Asaph, Ariela Feingold, Hamutal Slovin, and Hagai Bergman.
Department of Physiology and the Center for Neural Computations, The Hebrew
University -Hadassah Medical School, P.O.Box 12272, Jerusalem 91120, Israel,
Fax:972-2--439736; E-mail: HAGAI@MD2.HUJI.AC.IL.
APStracts 2:0224N, 1995.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
1. To test the mode of functional connectivity in the basal ganglia circuitry,
we studied the activity of simultaneously recorded neurons in the globus
pallidus (GP) of a behaving Rhesus monkey. The crosscorrelograms of pairs of
neurons in the GP were compared with those of neurons in the thalamus and
frontal cortex and to the crosscorrelograms of pallidal pairs following 1-
methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) treatment. 2. In contrast
with cortical and thalamic neuronal activity, almost all pairs (n=76/81 pairs;
93.8%, 1629 /1651 histograms; 98.7%) of GP neurons in the normal monkey were
not driven by a common input. 3. The monkey was systemically treated with MPTP
until the appearance of parkinsonian signs and an intermittent 7-11 Hz
action/postural tremor. Following the MPTP treatment, many pallidal neurons
(49/140; 35%) became oscillatory, and 19% (n=31/162) of pallidal pairs had
oscillatory crosscorrelograms. 4. These results support the model of parallel
processing in the basal ganglia of normal monkeys and suggest a breakdown of
the independent activity in the parkinsonian state.
Received 18 May 1995; accepted in final form 28 July 1995.
APS Manuscript Number J331-5.
Article publication pending J. Neurophysiol.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1995 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 14 August 1995.