This study investigates the neural mechanisms underlying the control of decision and movement speed in the human basal ganglia, specifically focusing on the subthalamic nucleus (STN). Using invasive electrophysiological recordings, electrical stimulation, and computational modeling of perceptual decision-making in Parkinson's disease patients undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery, the researchers demonstrate that the STN independently controls decision and movement speed in distinct processing windows. The findings suggest that the basal ganglia independently control the speed of decisions and movements for each hemisphere during adaptive behavior.

Damian M. Herz, Manuel Bange, Gabriel Gonzalez-Escamilla, Miriam Auer, Keyoumars Ashkan, Petra Fischer, Huiling Tan, Rafal Bogacz, Muthuraman Muthuraman, Sergiu Groppa, Peter Brown