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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Neurodegeneration
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1521443

Impairment of Neuronal Activity in the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Occurs Early in Parkinsonism

Provisionally accepted
Noah Hjelle Noah Hjelle Biswaranjan Mohanty Biswaranjan Mohanty Tanner Hubbard Tanner Hubbard Matthew D Johnson Matthew D Johnson Jing Wang Jing Wang Luke Johnson Luke Johnson Jerrold L Vitek Jerrold L Vitek *
  • University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, United States

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

    Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is often characterized by altered rates and patterns of neuronal activity in the sensorimotor regions of the basal ganglia thalamocortical network. Little is known, however, regarding how neuronal activity in the executive control network of the brain changes in the parkinsonian condition. Objective: Investigate the impact of parkinsonism on neuronal activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a key region in executive control, during a go/nogo reaching task. Methods: Using a within-subject design, single and multi-unit neuronal activity was recorded in the DLPFC of a nonhuman primate (n=1) before and after the induction of mild parkinsonism using the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Results: Coincident with development of mild parkinsonian motor signs, there was a marked reduction in the percentage of DLPFC cells with significant task-related firing rate modulation during go and nogo conditions. Conclusions: These results suggest that DLPFC dysfunction may occur early in parkinsonism and contribute to cognitive impairments and disrupted executive function often observed in PD patients.

    Keywords: Parkinsons Disease, rhesus macaque, dorsolateral prefronal cortex, Go Nogo, MPTP

    Received: 01 Nov 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Hjelle, Mohanty, Hubbard, Johnson, Wang, Johnson and Vitek. 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: Jerrold L Vitek, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, United States

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