Emotions Modulate Subthalamic Nucleus Activity: New Evidence in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Parkinson’s Disease Patients

Subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation alleviates obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms, suggesting that this basal ganglia structure may play a key role in integrating limbic and motor information. We explored the modulation of STN neural activity by visual emotional information under different demands. compared local field potentials acquired 7 patients with OCD 15 Parkinson’s disease off on levodopa while categorized pictures as unpleasant, pleasant, or neutral pressed button for 1 these 3 categories depending instruction. During image presentation, theta power increased unpleasant images both disease. Only was also pleasant trials. press OCD, no modification seen average, but when triggering response unpleasant. Conversely, disease, beta decrease observed during unrelated to valence stimulus. Finally, significant positive relationship between amplitude emotionally related symptom severity (measured using Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale). highlighted modulations band emotions were specific correlated severity. theta-induced might therefore underlie dysfunction its network leading pathophysiology.