# Multimodal analysis of human PFC 4 Hz rhythms in cognition and speech in PD

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2022 · $122,131

## Abstract

Abstract
In addition to motor dysfunction, cognitive and speech impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) strongly
affect quality of life in PD patients. Executive dysfunction is an early hallmark of cognitive impairment in
PD. Because standard treatments for motor symptoms in PD, such as levodopa and high frequency deep
brain stimulation (DBS), can potentially worsen cognition and speech, there is a critical need to develop
treatments targeting cognitive and speech impairments in PD. Our long-term goal is to understand the
physiological basis of cognition and speech impairments in PD. Our prior work suggests that cognitive
and speech deficits in PD are associated with altered PFC 4 Hz oscillations. Despite this data, the
network mechanisms that underlie prefrontal (PFC) 4 Hz rhythms are unknown. The overall objective of
the proposed research is to determine the anatomical basis of PFC 4 Hz changes in PD. Our published
work demonstrates that PFC 4 Hz rhythms are attenuated in PD, and our preliminary data indicate that
these rhythms are specifically linked with cognitive and speech impairments. We will collect EEG and
MRI data to determine key correlates of cognitive and speech symptoms. We will concentrate on
dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC), ventrolateral PFC (VLPFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) as key PFC
regions involved in executive functions and speech generation, and their subcortical connections with
STN (hyperdirect pathway) and the caudate nucleus which are critical cognitive nodes. These methods
will generate fundamental insights about how PFC 4 Hz rhythms affect cognition and speech in human
PD patients. We will test the hypothesis that PFC 4 Hz oscillations coordinate brain-wide activity during
cognitive and speech tasks.
Our first aim is to determine the structural origin of the deficits in PFC 4 Hz oscillations in PD by using a
combination of structural MRI to assess the cortical thickness of key PFC regions, structural connectivity
using diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) tractography between key PFC regions and subcortical structures
(STN and caudate), and high-density electroencephalogram (EEG) at rest and during performance of
cognitive and speech tasks in participants with PD across different levels of severity (mild, moderate, and
advanced). Our second aim is to determine how PFC functional network mechanisms are linked with
deficits in PFC 4 Hz oscillations by using simultaneous EEG-fMRI to examine BOLD changes during
cognitive and speech tasks used in Aim 1 and in Project 2. We will examine resting-state connectivity of
key PFC regions and subcortical structures. As in Aim 1, we will also use a control group and work with
moderate PD participants identified from Project 2. Understanding the anatomical and functional basis of
4Hz PFC rhythms might be eventually useful for neuromodulation to treat cognitive and speech
impairments in PD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10490442
- **Project number:** 5P20NS123151-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** ERGUN Y UC
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $122,131
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-17 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10490442

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10490442, Multimodal analysis of human PFC 4 Hz rhythms in cognition and speech in PD (5P20NS123151-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10490442. Licensed CC0.

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