1] Department of Neuroscience, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA [2].
Nat Commun. 2013;4:2463. doi: 10.1038/ncomms3463.
Electrical and transcranial magnetic stimulations have proven to be therapeutically beneficial for patients suffering from neurological disorders. Moreover, these stimulation technologies have provided invaluable tools for investigating nervous system functions. Despite this success, these technologies have technical and practical limitations impeding the maximization of their full clinical and preclinical potential. Recently, micro-magnetic stimulation, which may offer advantages over electrical and transcranial magnetic stimulation, has proven effective in activating the neuronal circuitry of the retina in vitro. Here we demonstrate that this technology is also capable of activating neuronal circuitry on a systems level using an in vivo preparation. Specifically, the application of micro-magnetic fields to the dorsal cochlear nucleus activates inferior colliculus neurons. Additionally, we demonstrate the efficacy and characteristics of activation using different magnetic stimulation parameters. These findings provide a rationale for further exploration of micro-magnetic stimulation as a prospective tool for clinical and preclinical applications.
电刺激和经颅磁刺激已被证明对患有神经紊乱的患者具有治疗益处。此外，这些刺激技术为研究神经系统功能提供了非常有价值的工具。尽管取得了这些成功，但这些技术存在技术和实际限制，阻碍了它们充分发挥其临床前和临床潜力。最近，微磁刺激已被证明可有效激活体外视网膜的神经元回路，它可能优于电刺激和经颅磁刺激，具有优势。在这里，我们证明这项技术也能够在体内准备中激活系统水平上的神经元回路。具体而言，将微磁场施加到耳蜗背核可激活下丘神经元。此外，我们还展示了使用不同磁刺激参数的激活效果和特征。这些发现为进一步探索微磁刺激作为临床前和临床应用的有前途工具提供了依据。
