Objectives Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder commonly associated with involuntary movements, or tics. We currently lack an ideal animal model for Tourette syndrome. In humans, clinical manifestation of tics cannot be captured via functional imaging due to motion artefacts and limited temporal resolution, and electrophysiological studies have been limited to the intraoperative environment. The goal of this study was to identify electrophysiological signals in the centromedian (CM) thalamic nucleus and primary motor (M1) cortex that differentiate tics from voluntary movements. Methods The data were collected as part of a larger National Institutes of Health-sponsored clinical trial. Four participants (two males, two females) underwent monthly clinical visits for collection of physiology for a total of 6 months. Participants were implanted with bilateral CM thalamic macroelectrodes and M1 subdural electrodes that were connected to two neurostimulators, both with sensing capabilities. MRI scans were performed preoperatively and CT scans postoperatively for localisation of electrodes. Electrophysiological recordings were collected at each visit from both the cortical and subcortical implants. Results Recordings collected from the CM thalamic nucleus revealed a low-frequency power (3–10 Hz) increase that was time-locked to the onset of involuntary tics but was not present during voluntary movements. Cortical recordings revealed beta power decrease in M1 that was present during tics and voluntary movements. Conclusion We conclude that a human physiological signal was detected from the CM thalamus that differentiated tic from voluntary movement, and this physiological feature could potentially guide the development of neuromodulation therapies for Tourette syndrome that could use a closed-loop-based approach.

中文翻译：

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区分抽动电生理与人丘脑皮层回路中的自发运动。

目的Tourette综合征是一种神经发育障碍，通常与不自主运动或抽动相关。我们目前缺乏理想的Tourette综合征动物模型。在人类中，由于运动伪影和有限的时间分辨率，无法通过功能成像捕获抽动的临床表现，并且电生理研究仅限于术中环境。这项研究的目的是确定着丝粒体（CM）丘脑核和初级运动（M1）皮质中的电生理信号，以区分抽动和自发运动。方法这些数据是作为美国国立卫生研究院资助的大型临床试验的一部分而收集的。四名参与者（两名男性，两名女性）每月进行一次临床访问，收集生理学信息，共6个月。参与者植入了双侧CM丘脑大电极和M1硬膜下电极，它们连接到两个具有刺激功能的神经刺激器上。术前进行MRI扫描，术后进行CT扫描以定位电极。每次访视时从皮层和皮层下植入物收集电生理记录。结果从CM丘脑核收集的记录显示低频功率增加（3-10 Hz），这是非自愿性抽动发作的时间锁定，但在自愿运动中不存在。皮质录音显示抽动和自愿运动期间M1的β功率降低。结论我们的结论是，从CM丘脑中检测到人类生理信号，该信号将tic与自愿运动区分开来，