Basal ganglia dynamics in parkinsonism and persistent motor rescue
Current Primary Collaborators: Aryn Gittis (CMU), John Parker (Williams College), Asier Aristieta (U. San Diego)
Current trainees: Anna Thomas (Pitt Mathematics), Emma Gao (Gittis lab at CMU)
Overarching questions: How do basal ganglia outputs change in parkinsonism? How can the altered dynamics be modulated to (persistently) improve motor function?
Some active projects:
(1) Develop a model for the SNr network -- the major output from the rodent basal ganglia -- that is strongly grounded in data and can reveal what changes under parkinsonian conditions (i.e., dopamine depletion) lead to altered SNr activity.
(2) Identify the key changes in SNr activity under dopamine depletion and determine how these changes evolve under the application of targeted optogenetic stimulation that yields persistent motor rescue.
(3) Develop and analyze dynamics of conductance-based models of neurons in the PPN, a major brain stem target of SNr projections that appears to be crucial for persistent motor rescue.
(4) Explain the mechanisms underlying persistent motor rescue from dynamics and biological perspectives.
Some recent publications: (grad students in bold font):
(1) A. Aristieta, J.E. Parker, Y.E. Gao, J.E. Rubin*, A.H. Gittis*, “Dopamine depletion weakens direct pathway modulation of SNr neurons”, Neurobio. Disease 196:106512, 2024
(2) J.E. Parker, A. Aristieta, A.H. Gittis, J.E. Rubin, “Introducing the STReaC (spike train response classification) toolbox”, J. Neurosci. Meth., 401:110000, 2024
(3) T.C. Whalen, J.E. Parker, A.H. Gittis, J.E. Rubin, “Transmission of delta band (0.5-4 Hz) oscillations from the globus pallidus to the substantia nigra pars reticulata in dopamine depletion”, J. Comp. Neurosci., 51:361-380, 2023
Overarching questions: How do basal ganglia outputs change in parkinsonism? How can the altered dynamics be modulated to (persistently) improve motor function?
Some active projects:
(1) Develop a model for the SNr network -- the major output from the rodent basal ganglia -- that is strongly grounded in data and can reveal what changes under parkinsonian conditions (i.e., dopamine depletion) lead to altered SNr activity.
(2) Identify the key changes in SNr activity under dopamine depletion and determine how these changes evolve under the application of targeted optogenetic stimulation that yields persistent motor rescue.
(3) Develop and analyze dynamics of conductance-based models of neurons in the PPN, a major brain stem target of SNr projections that appears to be crucial for persistent motor rescue.
(4) Explain the mechanisms underlying persistent motor rescue from dynamics and biological perspectives.
Some recent publications: (grad students in bold font):
(1) A. Aristieta, J.E. Parker, Y.E. Gao, J.E. Rubin*, A.H. Gittis*, “Dopamine depletion weakens direct pathway modulation of SNr neurons”, Neurobio. Disease 196:106512, 2024
(2) J.E. Parker, A. Aristieta, A.H. Gittis, J.E. Rubin, “Introducing the STReaC (spike train response classification) toolbox”, J. Neurosci. Meth., 401:110000, 2024
(3) T.C. Whalen, J.E. Parker, A.H. Gittis, J.E. Rubin, “Transmission of delta band (0.5-4 Hz) oscillations from the globus pallidus to the substantia nigra pars reticulata in dopamine depletion”, J. Comp. Neurosci., 51:361-380, 2023