Authors: Abdolaziz Ronaghi, Tiberiu Loredan Stan, Sebastian A. Barrientos, Pär Halje, Azat Nasretdinov, Luciano Censoni, Sebastian Sulis Sato Evgenya Malinina, Joakim Tedroff, Nicholas Waters, Per Petersson

Abstract: Levodopa provides effective symptomatic treatment for Parkinson’s disease. However, nonmotor symptoms are often insufficiently relieved, and its long-term use is complicated by motor fluctuations and dyskinesia. To clarify mechanisms of levodopa-induced dyskinesia and pharmacological interventions aimed at reducing dyskinetic symptoms, we have here characterized the neurophysiological activity patterns in sensorimotor and cognitive-limbic circuits in dyskinetic rats, comparing the effects of amantadine, pimavanserin, and the novel prospective antidyskinetic and antipsychotic treatment mesdopetam. Parallel recordings of local field potentials from 11 cortical and subcortical regions revealed suppression of narrowband gamma oscillations (NBGs) in sensorimotor structures by amantadine and mesdopetam in conjunction with alleviation of dyskinetic signs. Concomitant gamma oscillations in cognitive-limbic circuits were not directly linked to dyskinesia and were not affected by antidyskinetic treatments to the same extent, although treatment-induced reductions in functional coupling were observed in both sensorimotor and cognitive-limbic circuits, in parallel. In a broad frequency spectrum (1-200 Hz), mesdopetam treatment displayed greater similarities to pimavanserin than to amantadine. These findings point to the reduction of NBGs as a valuable biomarker for the characterization of antidyskinetic treatment effects and provide systems-level mechanistic insights into the antidyskinetic efficacy of mesdopetam, with potential additional benefits for the treatment of Parkinson’s-related psychosis.

DOI: 10.1111/ejn.70032

Dear SWEBAGS:ers,

We are currently having issues with our online event calendar. But we are looking forward to Feb 28, 2025, when we will be able to hear the Honorary Lectures from our newly elected honorary members, Bertil Fredholm and Suzanne Haber!

We’re happy to announce that we have finally obtained the recording of last year’s joint lecture with JBAGS!

You can now watch the full lecture here or on youtube. We hope this recording will be useful and inspiring.

Happy viewing!

Do not worry, the recordings are now available in the archive.

The Swebags Conference 2024 programme and abstract book are now available on the conference pages.

Make sure that you are registered and don’t miss these inspiring presentations.

To keep the Swebags society running smoothly and to continue offering webinars and other activities, we rely on the voluntary efforts of our board members. The board is elected during our annual meeting, and your participation is crucial to ensure the society’s success. No registration is required—just join us at the scheduled time.

Date: 2024-12-05
Time: 08:30 – 09:00
Link: https://kth-se.zoom.us/j/64834058661?pwd=8ZsapRbiGmVmJKhazh0OzPpnan758M.1

Agenda:
Opening of Meeting/Welcome
Adoption of the Agenda
Decide on two persons that certify the meeting protocol and count votes in case of voting procedures.
Elect meeting chairperson and meeting secretary
Proof of Notice of Meeting Given
Voting list adjustment
Previous minutes
Evaluate the reports from the board etc. and decide if there is a continued trust in the board.
Presentation of Annual Report for 2023
Presentation of Operational plan for 2024
Discharge from liability for the board
Elections
Elect Chair (for 1 year)
Elect Board members (for 3 years)
Elect two accountants and 2 stand-ins for the accountants. (for 1 year)
Elect nomination committee and one stand-in for these (for 1 year)
Honorary members
Motions and Bills
Decide on membership fees.
Any other business
Adjournment

We are deeply saddened by the news of Professor Ernest Arenas’ passing. While we are immensely grateful for his significant contributions to basal ganglia research, our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time. Karolinska Institutet has shared an obituary, which can be read here: Karolinska Institutet obituary.

We understand that many of you have tried to submit an abstract and register for the conference via the SWEBAGS website without succeeding. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the downtime of our website. We are pleased to inform you that the issue has been fully resolved, and our site is now back online.

Given the circumstances, we have decided to extend the abstract submission deadline through September 30th.

If you have already prepared your abstract, you can now submit it through our website: SWEBAGS Conference 2024 Submission. For those who haven’t yet, we encourage you to take advantage of this extended deadline to share your latest research on basal ganglia-related topics.

Authors: Alessia Ricci, Eleonora Rubino, Gian Pietro Serra, Åsa Wallén-Mackenzie

Abstract: Neuromodulation such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) is advancing as a clinical intervention in several neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, including Parkinson´s disease, dystonia, tremor, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) for which DBS is already applied to alleviate severely afflicted individuals of symptoms. Tourette syndrome and drug addiction are two additional disorders for which DBS is in trial or proposed as treatment. However, some major remaining obstacles prevent this intervention from reaching its full therapeutic potential. Side-effects have been reported, and not all DBS-treated individuals are relieved of their symptoms. One major target area for DBS electrodes is the subthalamic nucleus (STN) which plays important roles in motor, affective and associative functions, with impact on for example movement, motivation, impulsivity, compulsivity, as well as both reward and aversion. The multifunctionality of the STN is complex. Decoding the anatomical-functional organization of the STN could enhance strategic targeting in human patients. The STN is located in close proximity to zona incerta (ZI) and the para-subthalamic nucleus (pSTN). Together, the STN, pSTN and ZI form a highly heterogeneous and clinically important brain area. Rodent-based experimental studies, including opto- and chemogenetics as well as viral-genetic tract tracings, provide unique insight into complex neuronal circuitries and their impact on behavior with high spatial and temporal precision. This research field has advanced tremendously over the past few years. Here, we provide an inclusive review of current literature in the pre-clinical research fields centered around STN, pSTN and ZI in laboratory mice and rats; the three highly heterogeneous and enigmatic structures brought together in the context of relevance for treatment strategies. Specific emphasis is placed on methods of manipulation and behavioral impact.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.110003

SWEBAGS warmly welcomes you to the SWEBAGS Conference 2024.

Based on the previous year’s successes, we will try to incorporate the feedback from the previous years when we once more open our digital doors for an online one-day conference on December 5th 2024.

One thing that many have requested has been to minimize the systems used. Therefore, this year, abstract submission, registration, and attendee information will be gathered here on the SWEBAGS website, and ordinary SWEBAGS accounts will be used.

In order to submit an abstract or register as an attendee, you will need to log in with a free SWEBAGS account; if you don’t have one already, register here. This will also give you access to our webinar archive with more than 50 webinars by leading researchers in our field.

Important dates:
Abstract submission deadline: July 31st 2024
Conference: December 5th, 2024

We hope to see you in December!

/SWEBAGS Organising Committee 2024