Striato-pallidal oscillatory connectivity correlates with symptom severity in dystonia patients

Dystonia is a hyperkinetic movement disorder that has been associated with an imbalance towards the direct pathway between striatum and internal pallidum, but the neuronal underpinnings of this abnormal basal ganglia pathway activity remain unknown. Here, we report invasive recordings from ten dystonia patients via deep brain stimulation electrodes that allow for parallel recordings of several basal ganglia nuclei, namely the striatum, external and internal pallidum, that all displayed activity in the low frequency band (3–12 Hz). In addition to a correlation with low-frequency activity in the internal pallidum (R = 0.88, P = 0.001), we demonstrate that dystonic symptoms correlate specifically with low-frequency coupling between striatum and internal pallidum (R = 0.75, P = 0.009). This points towards a pathophysiological role of the direct striato-pallidal pathway in dystonia that is conveyed via coupling in the enhanced low-frequency band. Our study provides a mechanistic insight into the pathophysiology of dystonia by revealing a link between symptom severity and frequency-specific coupling of distinct basal ganglia pathways.