Basal ganglia involvement in sensory and cognitive processing. A depth electrode CNV study in human subjects

Objective: Intracranial recordings were taken from the basal ganglia (BG) i n order to explore the possible role of the BG in the cognitive processing of sensory information. Methods: Ten patients with intractable temporal lobe epilepsy, who were can didates for epilepsy surgery, underwent intracranial recordings with depth electrodes. A frontal approach was used for the insertion of diagonal depth electrodes into the amygdalo-hippocampal complex (AH complex). These elect rodes passed through the BG. The putamen was explored in 8 patients the nuc leus caudatus and pallidum were explored in two patients, The contingent ne gative variation (CNV) paradigm was tested using auditory warning stimuli a nd visual imperative stimuli followed by a hand flexion. The auditory and v isual middle and late latency potentials evoked by the warning and imperati ve stimuli were analyzed. Results: (1) Auditory evoked potentials (EPs): the amplitude potential grad ient was observed with latencies of (a) 150-195 ms (9 patients); (b) 215-29 0 ms (9 patients); and (c) 350-600 ms (10 patients). Negative potentials. w ith latencies of 100 and 110 ms were observed in two patients. (2) Visual E Ps: (a) 160-195 ms (9 patients); (b) 210-295 ms (9 patients); and (c) 330-5 50 ms (7 patients). Negative potentials with latencies between 100 and 120 ms were observed in 4 patients, CNV was obtained from the BG in 8 patients a phase reversal was observed twice. Conclusions: (1) The BG generate middle and late latency EPs in a cognitive paradigm linked to the motor task. (2) The BG generate CNV. (3) The BG cou ld play an integrative role in the processing of sensory, cognitive, and mo tor information. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved .