Multistable properties of human subthalamic nucleus neurons in Parkinson’s disease

To understand the function and dysfunction of neural circuits, it is necessary to understand the properties of the neurons participating in the behavior, the connectivity between these neurons, and the neuromodulatory status of the circuits at the time they are producing the behavior. Such knowledge of human neural circuits is difficult, at best, to obtain. Here, we study firing properties of human subthalamic neurons, using microelectrode recordings and microstimulation during awake surgery for Parkinson’s disease. We demonstrate that low-amplitude, brief trains of microstimulation can lead to persistent changes in neuronal firing behavior including switching between firing rates, entering silent periods, or firing several bursts then entering a silent period. We suggest that these multistable states reflect properties of finite state machines and could have implications for the function of circuits involving the subthalamic nucleus. Furthermore, understanding these states could lead to therapeutic strategies aimed at regulating the transitions between states.