Prefrontal-subthalamic theta signaling mediates delayed responses during conflict processing

While medial frontal cortex (MFC) and subthalamic nucleus (STN) have been implicated in conflict monitoring and action inhibition, respectively, an integrated understanding of the spatiotemporal and spectral interaction of these nodes and how they interact with motor cortex (M1) to definitively modify motor behavior during conflict is lacking. We recorded neural signals intracranially across presupplementary motor area (preSMA), M1, STN, and globus pallidus internus (GPi), during a flanker task in 20 patients undergoing deep brain stimulation implantation surgery for Parkinson disease or dystonia. Conflict is associated with sequential and causal increases in local theta power from preSMA to STN to M1 with movement delays directly correlated with increased STN theta power, indicating preSMA is the MFC locus that monitors conflict and signals STN to implement a ‘break.’ Transmission of theta from STN-to-M1 subsequently results in a transient increase in M1-to-GPi beta flow immediately prior to movement, modulating the motor network to actuate the conflict-related action inhibition (i.e., delayed response). Action regulation during conflict relies on two distinct circuits, the conflict-related theta and movement-related beta networks, that are separated spatially, spectrally, and temporally, but which interact dynamically to mediate motor performance, highlighting complex parallel yet interacting networks regulating movement. •PreSMA is the MFC locus monitoring for conflict, generating conflict-mediated theta.•Theta flows from preSMA to STN to M1 in conflict processing.•STN-mediated theta changes are required for delayed response in conflict processing.•STN-to-M1 theta flow during conflict is contemporaneous with M1-to-GPi beta flow increases.•Conflict-related theta network modulates movement-related beta networks.