Oscillations in the basal ganglia

Neurons within the basal ganglia — a network of brain structures that may influence information processing in the cortex — can fire in oscillatory bursts. A new study sheds light on the origin of these bursts by defining synchronized oscillations in a cell-culture model of the basal ganglia. Interestingly, this 'pacemaker' seems to oscillate at roughly the same frequency as the tremors seen in people with Parkinson's disease.