Focused Review Article
Contribution of subcortical structures to cognition assessed with invasive electrophysiology in humans
Thomas F. Münte 1*, Marcus Heldmann 2, Hermann Hinrichs 2, Josep Marco-Pallares 1, Ulrike M. Krämer 1, Volker Sturm 3 and Hans-Jochen Heinze 2
1 Department of Neuropsychology, University of Magdeburg, Germany
2 Department of Neurology II , University of Magdeburg, Germany
3 Department of Stereotactic Neurosurgery, University of Cologne, Germany
2 Department of Neurology II , University of Magdeburg, Germany
3 Department of Stereotactic Neurosurgery, University of Cologne, Germany
Implantation of deep brain stimulation (DBS) electrodes via stereotactic neurosurgery has become a standard procedure for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. More recently, the range of neuropsychiatric conditions and the possible target structures suitable for DBS have greatly increased. The former include obsessive compulsive disease, depression, obesity, tremor, dystonia, Tourette’s syndrome and cluster-headache. In this article we argue that several of the target structures for DBS (nucleus accumbens, posterior inferior hypothalamus, nucleus subthalamicus, nuclei in the thalamus, globus pallidus internus, nucleus pedunculopontinus) are located at strategic positions with brain circuits related to motivational behaviors, learning, and motor regulation. Recording from DBS electrodes either during the operation or post-operatively from externalized leads while the patient is performing cognitive tasks tapping the functions of the respective circuits provides a new window on the brain mechanisms underlying these functions. This is exemplified by a study of a patient suffering from obsessive-compulsive disease from whom we recorded in a flanker task designed to tap action monitoring processes while he received a DBS electrode in the right nucleus accumbens. Clear error-related modulations were obtained from the target structure, demonstrating a role of the nucleus accumbens in action monitoring. Based on recent conceptualizations of several different functional loops and on neuroimaging results we suggest further lines of research using this new window on brain functions.
Keywords: deep brain stimulation, action monitoring, motivation, subcortical nuclei, memory, nucleus accumbens, nucleus subthalamicus, electrophysiology
Copyright: © 2008 Münte, Heldmann, Hinrichs, Marco-Pallares, Krämer, Sturm and Heinze. This is an open-access article subject to an exclusive license agreement between the authors and the Frontiers Research Foundation, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited.
*Correspondence: Thomas F. Münte, Dept. of Neuropsychology University of Magdeburg Gebäude 24 Universitätsplatz 2 39106 Magdeburg, Germany. e-mail: thomas.muente@medizin.uni-magdeburg.de
Citation: Münte TF, Heldmann M, Hinrichs H, Marco-Pallares J, Krämer UM, Sturm V and Heinze H (2008) Contribution of subcortical structures to cognition assessed with invasive electrophysiology in humans. Front. Neurosci. 2,1:72-78. doi:10.3389/neuro.01.006.2008
Received: 25 April 2008; paper pending published: 03 June 2008; accepted: 03 June 2008; published online: 15 July 2008.
Edited by:
Robert T. Knight, University of California Berkeley, USA
Reviewed by:
Maurizio Corbetta, Washington University, USA
George R. Mangun, University of California Davis, USA
Robert T. Knight, University of California Berkeley, USA
George R. Mangun, University of California Davis, USA
Robert T. Knight, University of California Berkeley, USA
*Correspondence: Thomas F. Münte, Dept. of Neuropsychology University of Magdeburg Gebäude 24 Universitätsplatz 2 39106 Magdeburg, Germany. e-mail: thomas.muente@medizin.uni-magdeburg.de
