Neuronal response to local electrical stimulation in rat thalamus: physiological implications for mechanisms of deep brain stimulation

• Published in: Neuroscience Vol. 113; no. 1; pp. 137 - 143
• Main Authors: Kiss, Z.H.T, Mooney, D.M, Renaud, L, Hu, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-01-2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Action Potentials; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; deep brain stimulation; Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases; Electric Stimulation; Electrophysiology; intracellular recording; Male; Medical sciences; Membrane Potentials; Neurology; Neurons - physiology; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson’s disease; rat; Rats; Rats, Long-Evans; Thalamus - cytology; Thalamus - physiology; Thalamus - physiopathology; tremor; Tremor - physiopathology; intracellular recording; tremor; rat; LTS, low threshold Ca 2+ spike; sDBS, (simulated) deep brain stimulation; STN, subthalamic nucleus; Parkinson’s disease; deep brain stimulation; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; Nervous system diseases; Rat; Tremor; Electrical stimulus; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Parkinson disease; Cerebral disorder; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Treatment; Central nervous system disease; Thalamus; Degenerative disease; Brain (vertebrata); Extrapyramidal syndrome
• ISSN: 0306-4522; 1873-7544
• DOI: 10.1016/S0306-4522(02)00122-7

High-frequency deep brain stimulation (DBS) of sensorimotor thalamus containing ‘tremor cells’ leads to tremor arrest in humans with parkinsonian and essential tremor. To examine the possible underlying mechanism(s), we recorded
in vitro intracellular responses of rat thalamic neurons to local intrathalamic stimulation. Such simulated DBS (sDBS) induced a sustained membrane depolarization accompanied by an increase in apparent membrane conductance in both motor and sensory neurons. With stimulation frequency above approximately 100 Hz, the sDBS-induced depolarization most typically led to repetitive neuronal firing or less frequently resulted in a complete blockade of action potential genesis. When regular intracellular current pulses were injected into cells to mimic ‘tremor’ activity, such rhythmic discharges were invariably disrupted or abolished by the random spike firing induced during high-frequency sDBS. Low-frequency sDBS left rhythmicity unaffected.
We conclude that clinical thalamic DBS may lead to a neuronal de-rhythmicity and tremor stoppage through masking and/or blocking rhythmic firing of tremor cells.