Synaptische Plastizität in Pallidum bei Dystoniepatienten

Aberrant forms of synaptic plasticity may underlie the pathophysiology of dystonia, a movement disorder characterized by sustained muscle contractions and abnormal postures. The internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) is the primary somatomotor output of the basal ganglia and tonically inhibits corticothalamic and brainstem premotor circuits. The remarkable efficacy of GPi high frequency stimulation (HFS) for surgical therapy of dystonia suggests that aberrant plasticity at the output of basal ganglia may be involved. Synaptic plasticity in GPi was induced by HFS in awake patients with generalized (whole b…