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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Health and Clinical Neuroscience
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1495272

Beta-gamma Phase-Amplitude Coupling of Scalp Electroencephalography During Walking Preparation in Parkinson's Disease Differs Depending on the Freezing of Gait

Provisionally accepted
Yuki Kimoto Yuki Kimoto 1Naoki Tani Naoki Tani 1*Takuto Emura Takuto Emura 1Takahiro Matsuhashi Takahiro Matsuhashi 1Takuto Yamamoto Takuto Yamamoto 1Yuya Fujita Yuya Fujita 1Satoru Oshino Satoru Oshino 1Koichi Hosomi Koichi Hosomi 1Hui Ming Khoo Hui Ming Khoo 1Shimpei Miura Shimpei Miura 1Takahiro Fujinaga Takahiro Fujinaga 1Takufumi Yanagisawa Takufumi Yanagisawa 1,2Haruhiko KIshima Haruhiko KIshima 1
  • 1 Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
  • 2 Institute for Advanced Co-Creation Studies, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Despite using beta oscillations within the subthalamic nucleus as a biomarker of akinesia or rigidity in Parkinson’s disease, a specific biomarker for freezing of gait (FOG) remains unclear. Recently, scalp phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) measured through scalp electroencephalography (EEG) has emerged as a promising tool for analyzing brain function. In this study, we examined whether PAC could be a biomarker for FOG. Methods: We enrolled 11 patients with Parkinson’s disease and recorded scalp EEG in preparation for and during gait while simultaneously assessing motor function, including FOG. We investigated changes in cortical PAC during walking with and without FOG and examined its correlation with the postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD) score. Results: Patient characteristics were as follows: mean age 59.1 ± 6.9 years, disease duration 13.9 ± 4.1 years, and seven men. Four trials were excluded from the analysis owing to artifacts. In the trials without FOG (n=18), beta-gamma PAC in the sensorimotor area decreased during gait preparation (p = 0.011; linear mixed-effects model), which was not the case in trials with FOG (n=6) (p = 0.64; linear mixed-effects model). Using a support vector machine, machine learning of PAC during preparation for walking predicted the presence of FOG with an accuracy of 71.2%. Conversely, PAC increased during walking in trials with FOG (p = 0.0042; linear mixed-effects model), and PAC 20 s after the start of walking was positively correlated with the PIGD score (correlation coefficient = 0.406, p = 0.032; Pearson’s rank correlation). Conclusions: Beta-gamma PAC in the sensorimotor area during preparation for walking differs depending on the emergence of FOG. As gait symptoms worsened, beta-gamma PAC in the sensorimotor area during walking gradually increased. Cortical PAC may be a biomarker for FOG in Parkinson's disease and may lead to the development of strategies to prevent falls in the future.

    Keywords: phase-amplitude coupling, Parkinson's disease, freezing of gait, Gait disturbance, power spectral density, movement disorder, Scalp electroencephalography

    Received: 12 Sep 2024; Accepted: 04 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Kimoto, Tani, Emura, Matsuhashi, Yamamoto, Fujita, Oshino, Hosomi, Khoo, Miura, Fujinaga, Yanagisawa and KIshima. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Naoki Tani, Department of Neurosurgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita, Japan

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