Closed-loop control of the thalamocortical relay neuron's Parkinsonian state based on slow variable.

A novel closed-loop control strategy is proposed to control Parkinsonian state based on a computational model. By modeling thalamocortical relay neurons under external electric field, a slow variable feedback control is applied to restore its relay functionality. Qualitative and quantitative analysis demonstrates the performance of feedback controller based on slow variable is more efficient compared with traditional feedback control based on fast variable. These findings point to the potential value of model-based design of feedback controllers for Parkinson's disease.