Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China; Department of Functional Neurosurgery, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100050, China.
Brain Stimul. 2015 Nov-Dec;8(6):1049-57. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2015.07.041. Epub 2015 Aug 1.
Stimulation of the anterior nucleus of the thalamus (ANT) is effective in seizure reduction, but the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of ANT stimulation are unclear.
To assess the beneficial effects of ANT stimulation on hippocampal neurons of epileptic monkeys.
Chronic ANT stimulation was applied to kainic acid-induced epileptic monkeys. Behavioral seizures were continuously monitored. Immunohistochemical staining and western blot assays were performed to assess the hippocampal injury and the effects of ANT stimulation.
The frequency of seizures was 42.8% lower in the stimulation group compared with the sham-stimulation group. Immunohistochemical staining and western blot analyses indicated that neuronal loss and apoptosis were less severe and that neurofilament synthesis was enhanced in the stimulation monkeys compared with the sham-stimulation group. These data showed that the hippocampal injury was less severe in monkeys in the stimulation group than in those in the sham-stimulation group.
Our data suggest that chronic ANT stimulation may exert protective effects on hippocampal neurons and boost the regeneration of neuronal fibers. These effects may be closely related to the mechanisms of ANT stimulation in epilepsy treatment.
刺激丘脑前核（ANT）可有效减少癫痫发作，但刺激 ANT 产生有益效果的机制尚不清楚。
评估 ANT 刺激对癫痫猴海马神经元的有益作用。
对红藻氨酸诱导的癫痫猴进行慢性 ANT 刺激。连续监测行为性癫痫发作。通过免疫组织化学染色和 Western blot 分析评估海马损伤和 ANT 刺激的作用。
与假刺激组相比，刺激组的癫痫发作频率降低了 42.8%。免疫组织化学染色和 Western blot 分析表明，刺激猴的神经元丢失和凋亡程度较轻，神经丝合成增强。这些数据表明，刺激组的猴子海马损伤比假刺激组的猴子更轻。
我们的数据表明，慢性 ANT 刺激可能对海马神经元具有保护作用，并促进神经元纤维的再生。这些影响可能与 ANT 刺激在癫痫治疗中的机制密切相关。
