We propose a new model for the function and dysfunction of the basal ganglia (BG). The basal ganglia are a set of cerebral structures involved in motor control which dysfunction causes high-incidence pathologies such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Their precise motor functions remain unknown. The classical model of the BG that allowed for the discovery of new treatments for PD seems today outdated in several respects. Based on experimental observations, our model proposes a simple dynamical framework for the understanding of how BG may select motor programs to be executed. Moreover, we explain how this ability is lost and how tremor-related oscillations in neuronal activity may emerge in PD.
Model Type: Connectionist Network
Region(s) or Organism(s): Basal ganglia
Model Concept(s): Oscillations; Spatio-temporal Activity Patterns; Simplified Models; Pathophysiology; Rate-coding model neurons; Parkinson's
Simulation Environment: C or C++ program
Implementer(s): Leblois, Arthur [leblois at clipper.ens.fr]
References:
Leblois A, Boraud T, Meissner W, Bergman H, Hansel D. (2006). Competition between feedback loops underlies normal and pathological dynamics in the basal ganglia. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 26 [PubMed]