Intermittent subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation induces risk-aversive behavior in human subjects.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30198482.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.36460 and PMC identifier 6130975.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a small almond-shaped subcortical structure classically known for its role in motor inhibition through the indirect pathway within the basal ganglia. Little is known about the role of the STN in mediating cognitive functions in humans. Here, we explore the role of the STN in human subjects making decisions under conditions of uncertainty using single-neuron recordings and intermittent deep brain stimulation (DBS) during a financial decision-making task. Intraoperative single-neuronal data from the STN reveals that on high-uncertainty trials, spiking activity encodes the upcoming decision within a brief (500 ms) temporal window during the choice period, prior to the manifestation of the choice. Application of intermittent DBS selectively prior to the choice period alters decisions and biases subject behavior towards conservative wagers.
Medical subject headings
- Behavior
- Deep Brain Stimulation
- Risk-Taking
- Subthalamic Nucleus