In the traditional model of the pathophysiology of parkinsonism, parkinsonian motor signs are viewed as the result of changes in discharge rates in the basal ganglia. However, not all experimental findings can be explained by rate changes alone, and changes in discharge patterns in these nuclei are increasingly emphasized as pathophysiologically important, including changes in burst discharges, in synchrony, and in oscillatory activity. This brief review highlights the pathophysiologic relevance of these rate and pattern changes in the pathophysiology of parkinsonism.