Beta-band oscillation biomarker

Exaggerated synchronized oscillation in the beta band (roughly 13 to 30 Hz) within the subthalamic nucleus and the wider basal-ganglia-cortical loop correlates with the bradykinesia and rigidity of Parkinson's disease. Beta power is suppressed by dopaminergic medication and by effective DBS, and its suppression tracks motor improvement, which is why it has become the leading feedback signal for adaptive DBS.

Several caveats temper its use as a control signal. Beta is a correlate, not a proven cause of symptoms; it relates poorly to tremor, which can require a different marker; and averaged beta power may be a coarse summary. Evidence suggests finer features are more informative, notably the temporal structure of beta bursts (the distribution of burst durations and amplitudes, with long high-amplitude bursts being more pathological) and beta-to-gamma phase-amplitude coupling.