Vieira Pedro G, Krause Matthew R, Laamerad Pooya, Pack Christopher C
Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Sci Adv. 2025 Sep 5;11(36):eadx2106. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adx2106.
Advances in brain stimulation have made it possible to target smaller and smaller regions for electromagnetic stimulation, in the hopes of producing increasingly focal neural effects. However, the brain is extensively interconnected, and the neurons comprising those connections may themselves be particularly susceptible to neurostimulation. Here, we test this hypothesis by identifying long-range projections in single-unit recordings from nonhuman primates receiving transcranial alternating current stimulation. We find that putative long-range projections are more strongly affected by stimulation than other cells. Specifically, they are both more entrained on average and account for occurrences of extremely strong entrainment. Given that stimulation appears to target the edges, rather than nodes, of neural networks, it may be necessary to rethink how neurostimulation strategies are designed.
脑刺激技术的进步使得针对越来越小的区域进行电磁刺激成为可能，以期产生越来越局部化的神经效应。然而，大脑具有广泛的相互连接，构成这些连接的神经元本身可能对神经刺激特别敏感。在此，我们通过在接受经颅交流电刺激的非人灵长类动物的单神经元记录中识别长程投射来检验这一假设。我们发现，假定的长程投射比其他细胞受刺激的影响更强。具体而言，它们平均上更容易被夹带，并且在极强夹带的发生中占比更高。鉴于刺激似乎针对的是神经网络的边缘而非节点，可能有必要重新思考神经刺激策略的设计方式。
