The effect of high and low frequency cortical stimulation with a fixed or a poisson distributed interpulse interval on cortical excitability in rats.

Neurostimulation is a promising treatment for refractory epilepsy. We studied the effect of cortical stimulation with different parameters in the rat motor cortex stimulation model. High intensity simulation (threshold for motor response--100 μA), high frequency (130 Hz) stimulation during 1 h decreased cortical excitability, irrespective of the interpulse interval used (fixed or Poisson distributed). Low intensity (10 μA) and/or low frequency (5 Hz) stimulation had no effect. Cortical stimulation appears promising for the treatment of neocortical epilepsy if frequency and intensity are high enough.