Neuronal entropy depends on the level of alertness in the parkinsonian Globus Pallidus in vivo

A new working hypothesis of Parkinson's disease proposes to focus on the central role of entropy increase in the Basal Ganglia in movement disorders. The conditions necessary for entropy increase in vivo are, however, still not fully described. We recorded the activity of single Globus Pallidus pars interna (GPi) neurons during the transition from deep anesthesia to full alertness in relaxed, head-restrained, control and parkinsonian (6OHDA-lesioned) rats. We found that during awakening from anesthesia, the variation of neuronal entropy was significantly higher in the parkinsonian than in the control group. This implies in our view that in Parkinson's disease the entropy of the output neurons of the Basal Ganglia varies dynamically with the input to the network, which is determined by the level of alertness. Therefore, entropy needs to be interpreted as a dynamic, emergent property that characterizes the global state of the Basal Ganglia neuronal network, rather than a static property of parkinsonian neurons themselves. Within the framework of the "entropy hypothesis", this implies the presence of a pathological feedback loop in the parkinsonian Basal Ganglia, where increasing the network input results in a further increase of neuronal entropy and a worsening of akinesia.