Zhang Jiacheng, Zhang Shaomin, Yu Chaonan, Zheng Xiaoxiang, Xu Kedi
Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies (QAAS), Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry, Zhejiang University, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardio-Cerebral Vascular Detection Technology and Medicinal Effectiveness Appraisal, China.
Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies (QAAS), Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry, Zhejiang University, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Cardio-Cerebral Vascular Detection Technology and Medicinal Effectiveness Appraisal, China.
Brain Res. 2018 Apr 1;1684:40-49. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2018.01.033. Epub 2018 Feb 7.
Intracortical electrical micro-stimulation has been applied widely for the attempts on reconstruction of sensory functions. More recently, thalamic electrical stimulation has been proposed as a promising target for somatosensory stimulation. However, the cortical activations and mechanisms evoked by VPM stimulation remained unclear. In this report, the cortical neural responses to electrical stimulations were recorded by optical imaging of intrinsic signals. The impact of stimulation parameters was characterized to illustrate how the VPM stimulation alter cortical activities. Significant increases were found in cortical responses with increased stimulation amplitude or pulse width. However, frequency modulation exhibited significant inhibition with higher frequency stimulation. Our results suggest that optical imaging of intrinsic signals is sensitive and reliable to deep brain stimulations. These results may not only help to understand the modulation effects through thalamocortical pathway, but also show the possibility to use VPM stimulation to evoke frequency-tuned tactile sensations in rats.
皮层内电微刺激已被广泛应用于感觉功能重建的尝试。最近，丘脑电刺激已被提议作为体感刺激的一个有前景的靶点。然而，腹后内侧核（VPM）刺激所诱发的皮层激活和机制仍不清楚。在本报告中，通过内在信号的光学成像记录了皮层对电刺激的神经反应。对刺激参数的影响进行了表征，以说明VPM刺激如何改变皮层活动。发现随着刺激幅度或脉冲宽度的增加，皮层反应显著增加。然而，频率调制在高频刺激时表现出显著抑制。我们的结果表明，内在信号的光学成像对深部脑刺激敏感且可靠。这些结果不仅可能有助于理解通过丘脑皮质通路的调制效应，还显示了利用VPM刺激在大鼠中诱发频率调谐触觉感受的可能性。
