Reduced pre-movement subthalamic beta desynchronization marks motor deficit in Parkinson's disease.

Abnormal beta-band (13-30 Hz) oscillations in the subthalamic nucleus are a well-established biomarker of motor dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. While most prior work has focused on beta activity during rest or sustained movement, far less is known about its transient dynamics during movement preparation-a critical phase in which suppression of beta-band activity (beta desynchronization) is thought to facilitate motor circuit readiness. Here, we delineate subthalamic beta-band activity specifically in the pre-movement initiation window across diverse motor tasks and demonstrate its association with both clinical motor impairment severity and subsequent movement acceleration. We recorded subthalamic nucleus local field potentials and kinematics in sixteen individuals with Parkinson's disease (10 males, 6 females; mean age 57.9 ± 10.5 years) implanted with sensing deep brain stimulation systems (Medtronic Activa® PC+S). While off medication and stimulation, participants performed cued motor tasks, including sit-to-stand, stand-to-walk and wrist flexion-extension. Pre-movement beta desynchronization, quantified as beta power normalized to resting baseline, was extracted and analysed using linear mixed-effects models to determine its relationship with clinical impairment severity and movement acceleration. Across all tasks, we observed robust pre-movement beta desynchronization in the subthalamic nucleus (