RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Subthalamic Nucleus Neurons Differentially Encode Early and Late Aspects of Speech Production
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 5620
OP 5631
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3480-17.2018
VO 38
IS 24
A1 Witold J. Lipski
A1 Ahmad Alhourani
A1 Tara Pirnia
A1 Peter W. Jones
A1 Christina Dastolfo-Hromack
A1 Leah B. Helou
A1 Donald J. Crammond
A1 Susan Shaiman
A1 Michael W. Dickey
A1 Lori L. Holt
A1 Robert S. Turner
A1 Julie A. Fiez
A1 R. Mark Richardson
YR 2018
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/38/24/5620.abstract
AB Basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops mediate all motor behavior, yet little detail is known about the role of basal ganglia nuclei in speech production. Using intracranial recording during deep brain stimulation surgery in humans with Parkinson's disease, we tested the hypothesis that the firing rate of subthalamic nucleus neurons is modulated in sync with motor execution aspects of speech. Nearly half of 79 unit recordings exhibited firing-rate modulation during a syllable reading task across 12 subjects (male and female). Trial-to-trial timing of changes in subthalamic neuronal activity, relative to cue onset versus production onset, revealed that locking to cue presentation was associated more with units that decreased firing rate, whereas locking to speech onset was associated more with units that increased firing rate. These unique data indicate that subthalamic activity is dynamic during the production of speech, reflecting temporally-dependent inhibition and excitation of separate populations of subthalamic neurons.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The basal ganglia are widely assumed to participate in speech production, yet no prior studies have reported detailed examination of speech-related activity in basal ganglia nuclei. Using microelectrode recordings from the subthalamic nucleus during a single-syllable reading task, in awake humans undergoing deep brain stimulation implantation surgery, we show that the firing rate of subthalamic nucleus neurons is modulated in response to motor execution aspects of speech. These results are the first to establish a role for subthalamic nucleus neurons in encoding of aspects of speech production, and they lay the groundwork for launching a modern subfield to explore basal ganglia function in human speech.