2024-04-15 16:42:00
Researchers at the University of Iowa in a new study have linked a region of the brain to the way humans redirect thoughts and attention when they are distracted. The connection is important because it offers insight into the cognitive and behavioral side effects of a technique used to treat patients with Parkinson’s disease.
The subthalamic nucleus is a pea-sized region of the brain involved in the motor control system, that is, our movements. In people with Parkinson’s disease, those movements have been compromised: researchers believe that the subthalamic nucleus, which normally acts as a brake on sudden movements, is exerting too much influence. Researchers believe that overactive braking is what contributes to the tremors and other motor deficits associated with the disease.
In recent years, doctors have treated Parkinson’s patients with deep brain stimulation, an electrode implanted in the subthalamic nucleus that generates electrical signals rhythmically, causing the brain region to loosen its braking, freeing movement. The deep brain stimulation system is like a pacemaker for the heart; Once implemented, it works continuously. However, some patients treated with deep brain stimulation have been plagued by an inability to focus attention and impulsive thoughts, sometimes leading to risky behaviors such as gambling and substance use. Researchers began to wonder: Did the subthalamic nucleus’ role in movement also mean that this same brain region could deal with thoughts and impulse control?
The team designed an experiment to measure the focus of attention of more than a dozen Parkinson’s patients when deep brain stimulation treatment was on or off. Participants, equipped with a cap to track their brain waves, were instructed to focus their attention on a computer screen while brain waves in their visual cortex were monitored. About one in five times, in random order, participants heard a chirp, intended to divert their visual attention from the screen to the newly introduced auditory distraction.
The team focused its attention on Parkinson’s groups. When DBS was off and the chirp was playing, the Parkinson’s patients shifted their attention from the visual to the auditory system. But when the chirp was presented to Parkinson’s participants with DBS on, those participants did not shift their visual attention.
The distinction confirmed the role of the subthalamic nucleus in the way the brain and body communicate not only with movement but also with thoughts and attention.
This is why deep brain stimulation should continue to be used in Parkinson’s patients, citing its clear benefits in assisting motor control functions.
This study was published in the journal Brain.
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