Activation of neurons in the cerebellar nuclei and ascending reticular formation by stimulation of the cerebellar surface

1976 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 539-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heinrich Bantli ◽  
James R. Bloedel ◽  
Daniel Tolbert

✓ Electrical stimulation of the cerebellar surface has been used therapeutically for the control of certain epileptic seizure and motor disorders. Recent hypotheses suggest that the therapeutic results in the treatment of epilepsy might be a consequence of the activation of Purkinje cells which subsequently inhibit the epileptic activity in the cerebrocerebellar loop. These experiments establish that an anatomical substrate exists whereby the effects of stimulating the cerebellar surface might be mediated by the ascending reticular formation and the non-specific thalamic nuclei. Specifically, the stimulation of the cerebellar surface activates not only Purkinje cells but also cerebellar afferent systems, climbing fibers and mossy fibers, and neurons in the cerebellar nuclei and reticular formation. In addition, recordings from neurons in the ascending reticular formation suggest that stimulation of the cerebellar surface can affect processing of ascending sensory information, thus influencing neural integration of non-specific sensory systems.

1987 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 548-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seigo Nagao ◽  
Tsukasa Nishiura ◽  
Hideyuki Kuyama ◽  
Masakazu Suga ◽  
Takenobu Murota

✓ The authors report the results of a study to evaluate the effect of stimulation of the medullary reticular formation on cerebral vasomotor tonus and intracranial pressure (ICP) after the hypothalamic dorsomedial nucleus and midbrain reticular formation were destroyed. Systemic arterial pressure (BP), ICP, and local cerebral blood volume (CBV) were continuously recorded in 32 cats. To assess the changes in the cerebral vasomotor tonus, the vasomotor index defined by the increase in ICP per unit change in BP was calculated. In 29 of the 32 animals, BP, ICP, and CBV increased simultaneously immediately after stimulation. The increase in ICP was not secondary to the increase in BP, because the vasomotor index during stimulation was significantly higher than the vasomotor index after administration of angiotensin II. The vasomotor index was high during stimulation of the area around the nucleus reticularis parvocellularis. In animals with the spinal cord transected at the C-2 vertebral level, ICP increased without a change in BP. These findings indicate that the areas stimulated in the medullary reticular formation play an important role in decreasing cerebral vasomotor tonus. This effect was not influenced by bilateral superior cervical ganglionectomy, indicating that there is an intrinsic neural pathway that regulates cerebral vasomotor tonus directly. In three animals, marked biphasic or progressive increases in ICP up to 100 mm Hg were evoked by stimulation. The reduction of cerebral vasomotor tonus and concomitant vasopressor response induced by stimulation of the medullary reticular formation may be one of the causes of acute brain swelling.


eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei Khilkevich ◽  
Juan Zambrano ◽  
Molly-Marie Richards ◽  
Michael Dean Mauk

Most movements are not unitary, but are comprised of sequences. Although patients with cerebellar pathology display severe deficits in the execution and learning of sequences (Doyon et al., 1997; Shin and Ivry, 2003), most of our understanding of cerebellar mechanisms has come from analyses of single component movements. Eyelid conditioning is a cerebellar-mediated behavior that provides the ability to control and restrict inputs to the cerebellum through stimulation of mossy fibers. We utilized this advantage to test directly how the cerebellum can learn a sequence of inter-connected movement components in rabbits. We show that the feedback signals from one component are sufficient to serve as a cue for the next component in the sequence. In vivo recordings from Purkinje cells demonstrated that all components of the sequence were encoded similarly by cerebellar cortex. These results provide a simple yet general framework for how the cerebellum can use simple associate learning processes to chain together a sequence of appropriately timed responses.


1996 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 894-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Mouginot ◽  
B. H. Gahwiler

1. Recording from deep cerebellar nuclei neurons, we investigated the role of presynaptic gamma-aminobutyric acid-B (GABAB) receptors in the modulation of monosynaptic inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) evoked by stimulation of Purkinje cells in rat slice cultures. 2. Bath application of the GABAB receptor agonist, baclofen (10 and 100 microM) induced two effects in cerebellar nuclei neurons: a postsynaptic hyperpolarization of 4.2 +/- 1.7 (SD) mV and a reduction in the amplitude of evoked IPSPs (30 +/- 10%). 3. When the postsynaptic GABAB response was blocked by filling the electrode with cesium methanesulfonate (2 M), or with a solution containing QX 314 (50 mM), bath application of baclofen (10 microM) reversibly depressed the evoked IPSPs by 36.7 +/- 18.7% and 42 +/- 20.3%, respectively. Under these experimental conditions, baclofen (10 microM) also reduced the amplitude of spontaneous IPSPs (10.2 +/- 9.5%) and decreased their frequency by 45.6 +/- 8.8%, suggesting a presynaptic site of action. 4. The presynaptic action of baclofen was not due to activation of receptors on the somata of Purkinje cells: baclofen (100 microM) failed to alter membrane holding current in Purkinje cells, and it had no effect on the rate of spontaneous action-potential discharge in Purkinje cells in the presence of ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists (6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione, 20 microM; D-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate, 40 microM). 5. IPSPs could be evoked by extracellular stimulation of the Purkinje cell layer or by direct stimulation of the fiber bundle connecting Purkinje cells to deep cerebellar neurons. In both situations, baclofen (10 microM) reduced the amplitude of evoked IPSPs by 32.7 +/- 8.8% and 31.2 +/- 10.2%, respectively. 6. These results demonstrate that GABAB receptors are present on the terminals of Purkinje cells. Their activation causes a decrease in the amplitude of evoked IPSPs recorded in deep cerebellar nuclei and also reduces the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory events.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Estefanía Hernandez-Martin ◽  
Enrique Arguelles ◽  
Yifei Zheng ◽  
Ruta Deshpande ◽  
Terence D. Sanger

AbstractHigh-frequency peripheral nerve stimulation has emerged as a noninvasive alternative to thalamic deep brain stimulation for some patients with essential tremor. It is not known whether such techniques might be effective for movement disorders in children, nor is the mechanism and transmission of the peripheral stimuli to central brain structures understood. This study was designed to investigate the fidelity of transmission from peripheral nerves to thalamic nuclei in children with dystonia undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery. The ventralis intermediate (VIM) thalamus nuclei showed a robust evoked response to peripheral high-frequency burst stimulation, with a greatest response magnitude to intra-burst frequencies between 50 and 100 Hz, and reliable but smaller responses up to 170 Hz. The earliest response occurred at 12–15 ms following stimulation onset, suggesting rapid high-fidelity transmission between peripheral nerve and thalamic nuclei. A high-bandwidth, low-latency transmission path from peripheral nerve to VIM thalamus is consistent with the importance of rapid and accurate sensory information for the control of coordination and movement via the cerebello-thalamo-cortical pathway. Our results suggest the possibility of non-invasive modulation of thalamic activity in children with dystonia, and therefore the possibility that a subset of children could have beneficial clinical response without the need for invasive deep brain stimulation.


1962 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-12
Author(s):  
J. M. Langlois ◽  
Guy Lamarche

The projections of the trigeminal nerve in the pontine reticular formation of the cat have been investigated by recording unit activity, after physiological stimulation of the face, in 30 "encéphales isolés" preparations. No somatotopical arrangement was found but a high degree of spatial convergence onto pontine reticular units exists and a certain degree of functional organization was observed.


2004 ◽  
Vol 100 (6) ◽  
pp. 997-1001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitsuhiro Ogura ◽  
Naoyuki Nakao ◽  
Ekini Nakai ◽  
Yuji Uematsu ◽  
Toru Itakura

Object. Although chronic electrical stimulation of the globus pallidus (GP) has been shown to ameliorate motor disabilities in Parkinson disease (PD), the underlying mechanism remains to be clarified. In this study the authors explored the mechanism for the effects of deep brain stimulation of the GP by investigating the changes in neurotransmitter levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during the stimulation. Methods. Thirty patients received chronic electrical stimulation of the GP internus (GPi). Clinical effects were assessed using the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the Hoehn and Yahr Staging Scale at 1 week before surgery and at 6 and 12 months after surgery. One day after surgery, CSF samples were collected through a ventricular tube before and 1 hour after GPi stimulation. The concentration of neurotransmitters such as γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), noradrenaline, dopamine, and homovanillic acid (HVA) in the CSF was measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. The treatment was effective for tremors, rigidity, and drug-induced dyskinesia. The concentration of GABA in the CSF increased significantly during stimulation, although there were no significant changes in the level of noradrenaline, dopamine, and HVA. A comparison between an increased rate of GABA concentration and a lower UPDRS score 6 months postimplantation revealed that the increase in the GABA level correlated with the stimulation-induced clinical effects. Conclusions. Stimulation of the GPi substantially benefits patients with PD. The underlying mechanism of the treatment may involve activation of GABAergic afferents in the GP.


1989 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1225-1236 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Gurahian ◽  
S. H. Chandler ◽  
L. J. Goldberg

1. The effects of repetitive stimulation of the nucleus pontis caudalis and nucleus gigantocellularis (PnC-Gi) of the reticular formation on jaw opener and closer motoneurons were examined. The PnC-Gi was stimulated at 75 Hz at current intensities less than 90 microA. 2. Rhythmically occurring, long-duration, depolarizing membrane potentials in jaw opener motoneurons [excitatory masticatory drive potential (E-MDP)] and long-duration hyperpolarizing membrane potentials [inhibitory masticatory drive potentials (I-MDP)] in jaw closer motoneurons were evoked by 40-Hz repetitive masticatory cortex stimulation. These potentials were completely suppressed by PnC-Gi stimulation. PnC-Gi stimulation also suppressed the short-duration, stimulus-locked depolarizations [excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs)] in jaw opener motoneurons and short-duration, stimulus-locked hyperpolarizations [inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs)] in jaw closer motoneurons, evoked by the same repetitive cortical stimulation. 3. Short pulse train (3 pulses; 500 Hz) stimulation of the masticatory area of the cortex in the absence of rhythmical jaw movements activated the short-latency paucisynaptic corticotrigeminal pathways and evoked short-duration EPSPs and IPSPs in jaw opener and closer motoneurons, respectively. The same PnC-Gi stimulation that completely suppressed rhythmical MDPs, and stimulus-locked PSPs evoked by repetitive stimulation to the masticatory area of the cortex, produced an average reduction in PSP amplitude of 22 and 17% in jaw closer and opener motoneurons, respectively. 4. PnC-Gi stimulation produced minimal effects on the amplitude of the antidromic digastric field potential or on the intracellularly recorded antidromic digastric action potential. Moreover, PnC-Gi stimulation had little effect on jaw opener or jaw closer motoneuron membrane resting potentials in the absence of rhythmical jaw movements (RJMs). PnC-Gi stimulation produced variable effects on conductance pulses elicited in jaw opener and closer motoneurons in the absence of RJMs. 5. These results indicate that the powerful suppression of cortically evoked MDPs in opener and closer motoneurons during PnC-Gi stimulation is most likely not a result of postsynaptic inhibition of trigeminal motoneurons. It is proposed that this suppression is a result of suppression of activity in neurons responsible for masticatory rhythm generation.


Neurosurgery ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumio Shima ◽  
Takato Morioka ◽  
Shozo Tobimatsu ◽  
Omiros Kavaklis ◽  
Motohiro Kato ◽  
...  

Abstract To improve the localization of stereotactic targets, somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) were recorded from the thalamus and subthalamic area using a specially designed semimicroelectrode in 61 patients and a conventional “macroclectrode” in 17 patients. By means of the semimicroelectrode, median nerve stimulation evoked two distinct SEPs, consisting of a diphasic wave with a huge positivity restricted to the nucleus ventrocaudalis (Vc) and a triphasic wave of lower amplitude with a major negativity in the ventral part of the nucleus ventrointermedius (Vim) and nucleus ventrooralis posterior (Vop) as well as the subthalamic lemniscal pathway. The Vim-Vc junction could thus be clearly delineated by an abrupt transition of SEPs from one type to the other with a precision of 1 mm. The parvicellular part of the Vc (Vcpc). situated in its basal region, was distinguishable from the Vc proper by a significant reduction of the positivity elicited by stimulation of the median nerve and by a rapid growth of a diphasic SEPs to stimulation of the posterior tibial nerve. In the other thalamic nuclei, stimulation of the median nerve elicited triphasic SEPs of a very small amplitude, suggesting a volume conduction current from the lemniscal pathway. With the macroclectrode, the positivity in the Vc was sensitive to electrode manipulation and the thalamic nuclei could not be distinctly outlined. SEP monitoring using the semimicroelectrode significantly improved the precision of target localization, which allowed minimizing of the volume of the therapeutic lesion without losing surgical effectiveness, while avoiding complications associated with increased penetration of the coagulating electrode. It is suggested that recording serial thalamic SEPs with the semimicroelectrode is a practical method to refine stereotactic targets in the thalamus.


2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 566-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pantaleo Romanelli ◽  
Helen Bronté-Stewart ◽  
Tracy Courtney ◽  
Gary Heit

✓ Holmes tremor is characterized by resting, postural, and intention tremor. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of both the nucleus ventralis intermedius (Vim) and the subthalamic nucleus (STN) may be required to control these three tremor components. A 79-year-old man presented with a long-standing combination of resting, postural, and intention tremor, which was associated with severe disability and was resistant to medical treatment. Neuroimaging studies failed to reveal areas of discrete brain damage. A DBS device was placed in the Vim and produced an improvement in both the intention and postural tremor, but there was residual resting tremor, as demonstrated by clinical observation and quantitative tremor analysis. Placement of an additional DBS device in the STN resolved the resting tremor. Stimulation of the Vim or STN alone failed to produce global resolution of mixed tremor, whereas combined Vim—STN stimulation produced global relief without creating noticeable side effects. Combined Vim—STN stimulation can thus be a safe and effective treatment for Holmes tremor.


2002 ◽  
Vol 97 (5) ◽  
pp. 1179-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basar Atalay ◽  
Hayrunnisa Bolay ◽  
Turgay Dalkara ◽  
Figen Soylemezoglu ◽  
Kamil Oge ◽  
...  

Object. The goal of this study was to investigate whether stimulation of trigeminal afferents in the cornea could enhance cerebral blood flow (CBF) in rats after they have been subjected to experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Cerebral vasospasm following SAH may compromise CBF and increase the risks of morbidity and mortality. Currently, there is no effective treatment for SAH-induced vasospasm. Direct stimulation of the trigeminal nerve has been shown to dilate constricted cerebral arteries after SAH; however, a noninvasive method to activate this nerve would be preferable for human applications. The authors hypothesized that stimulation of free nerve endings of trigeminal sensory fibers in the face might be as effective as direct stimulation of the trigeminal nerve. Methods. Autologous blood obtained from the tail artery was injected into the cisterna magna of 10 rats. Forty-eight and 96 hours later (five rats each) trigeminal afferents were stimulated selectively by applying transcorneal biphasic pulses (1 msec, 3 mA, and 30 Hz), and CBF enhancements were detected using laser Doppler flowmetry in the territory of the middle cerebral artery. Stimulation-induced changes in cerebrovascular parameters were compared with similar parameters in sham-operated controls (six rats). Development of vasospasm was histologically verified in every rat with SAH. Corneal stimulation caused an increase in CBF and blood pressure and a net decrease in cerebrovascular resistance. There were no significant differences between groups for these changes. Conclusions. Data from the present study demonstrate that transcorneal stimulation of trigeminal nerve endings induces vasodilation and a robust increase in CBF. The vasodilatory response of cerebral vessels to trigeminal activation is retained after SAH-induced vasospasm.


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