Sympathetic mechanisms in cerebral blood flow alterations induced by spinal cord stimulation

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (4) ◽  
pp. 754-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sachin Patel ◽  
Dah-Luen Huang ◽  
Oren Sagher

Object. Cervical spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been found to augment cerebral blood flow (CBF) in a number of animal models, although the mechanisms underlying the cerebrovascular effects of SCS are poorly described. In this study, the authors examined the role of sympathetic tone in CBF alterations induced by SCS in rats. Methods. Spinal cord stimulation was performed at three intervals while CBF was monitored with laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF). Either hexamethonium (5, 10, or 20 mg/kg), prazosin (0.25, 0.5, or 1 mg/kg), idazoxan (0.5, 1, or 2 mg/kg), propranolol (1, 2, or 4 mg/kg), or vehicle was administered intravenously before the second stimulation. Changes in LDF values due to SCS were recorded as the percentage of change from baseline values and were analyzed. In vehicle-treated animals, SCS increased LDF values by 60.5 ± 1.8% over baseline, whereas both high-dose hexamethonium and prazosin completely abolished the SCS-induced increases in LDF values. On the other hand, LDF values increased by 50.9 ± 4% and 61.4 ± 4% after SCS in the presence of idazoxan or propranolol, respectively. Administration of sympathetic nervous system blockers resulted in a variable degree of systemic hypotension as well. Nevertheless, induced hypotension without sympathetic blockade had only a minimal effect on SCS-induced augmentation of LDF values (48 ± 1.4% over baseline). Conclusions. Sympathetic tone plays a major role in SCS-induced increases in CBF. This effect seems to be mediated primarily by α1-adrenergic receptors. Systemic hypotension alone cannot explain the effects of sympathetic blockade on the SCS response. Clinical use of SCS in the treatment of cerebral ischemia should take α1-adrenergic receptor sympathetic tone into account.

2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oren Sagher ◽  
Dah-Luen Huang ◽  
Richard F. Keep

Object. The authors previously showed that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) increases cerebral blood flow in rats, indicating that this technique may be useful in the treatment of focal cerebral ischemia. In the present study, the neuroprotective potential of SCS in the setting of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was investigated. Methods. The authors induced permanent, focal cerebral ischemia by using either suture-induced occlusion or direct division of the MCA in Sprague—Dawley rats. Electrical stimulation of the cervical spinal cord was performed during cerebral ischemia. Cerebral blood flow was assessed using both laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and quantitative radiotracer analysis. Stroke volumes were analyzed after 6 hours of ischemia. Spinal cord stimulation resulted in a 52.7 ± 13.3% increase in LDF values (nine animals). Following MCAO, LDF values decreased by 64.1 ± 3.6% from baseline values (10 animals). Spinal cord stimulation subsequently increased LDF values to 30.9 ± 13.5% below original baseline values. These findings were corroborated using radiotracer studies. Spinal cord stimulation in the setting of transcranial MCAO significantly reduced stroke volumes as well (from 203 ± 33 mm3 [control] to 32 ± 8 mm3 [MCAO plus SCS], seven animals in each group, p < 0.001). Similarly, after suture-induced MCAO, SCS reduced stroke volumes (from 307 ± 29 mm3 [control] to 78 ± 22 mm3 [MCAO plus SCS], 10 animals in each group, p < 0.001). Conclusions. A strategy of performing SCS for the prevention of critical ischemia is feasible and may have the potential for the treatment and prevention of stroke.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oren Sagher ◽  
Dah-Luen Huang

Object. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is frequently used for the treatment of chronic pain. Although the mechanisms by which SCS alleviates pain are unclear, they are believed to involve changes within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Spinal cord stimulation has also been found to cause significant vasodilation in the peripheral vasculature. The mechanisms underlying this effect are thought to involve sympathetic blockade. A rostral vasodilatory effect has also been described, but changes in cerebral blood flow (CBF) have been poorly delineated. Using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF), the authors examined the effects of cervical SCS on CBF in rats. Methods. Cervical SCS was found to result in a significant increase in cortical LDF values (83 ± 11% [mean ± standard error of the mean]). The increase in cortical LDF values was not accompanied by a significant increase in systemic blood pressure. Stimulation of the upper cervical spinal cord was more effective in inducing LDF changes than was that of the lower cervical cord. Changes in SDS-induced LDF values were significantly attenuated after spinal cord transection at the cervicomedullary junction and by the administration of the sympathetic blocker hexamethonium. Conclusions. These results indicate that cervical SCS may induce cerebral vasodilation and that this effect may involve indirect effects on vasomotor centers in the brainstem as well as an alteration in sympathetic tone.


1997 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 662-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krishna Kumar ◽  
Cory Toth ◽  
Rahul K. Nath ◽  
Ashok K. Verma ◽  
John J. Burgess

✓ Spinal cord stimulation was used in 46 patients for pain associated with lower extremity ischemic vascular disease that was considered to be nonreconstructable. Thirty-nine patients who had a follow-up examination between 2 and 36 months after the procedure form the basis of this report. Thirty (77%) of 39 cases were considered successful. Clinical endpoints indicating failure included amputation, vascular reconstruction, poor pain relief, or hardware malfunction. The transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen (TcPO2) increased in both target and control feet. In patients with good outcome with a preimplantation TcPO2 of less than 30 mm Hg, TcPO2 increased significantly (p < 0.05). Pulse volume recording improved significantly (p < 0.05) at the thigh, metatarsal, and great toe levels in successfully treated patients. Peak blood flow velocity also showed a significant increase in patients with good outcome (p < 0.05). Patients with a TcPO2 of less than 10 mm Hg following stimulation tended to undergo amputation within the first 3 months. Improvement in pain control, combined with an increase in TcPO2 values that was greater than 10 mm Hg, were significant early predictors of long-term success. An initial increase in peak blood flow velocities (measured in Doppler studies) of greater than 10 mm also signified a good long-term outcome. Spinal cord stimulation appears to be a useful therapeutic modality for controlling pain and improving perfusion in a select group of patients with end-stage ischemic vascular disease considered nonreconstructable. The best results were seen in patients with severe claudication and rest pain without trophic changes in the foot. The mechanism of this beneficial effect is not yet completely understood.


1999 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 300-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leif Østergaard ◽  
Fred H. Hochberg ◽  
James D. Rabinov ◽  
A. Gregory Sorensen ◽  
Michael Lev ◽  
...  

Object. In this study the authors assessed the early changes in brain tumor physiology associated with glucocorticoid administration. Glucocorticoids have a dramatic effect on symptoms in patients with brain tumors over a time scale ranging from minutes to a few hours. Previous studies have indicated that glucocorticoids may act either by decreasing cerebral blood volume (CBV) or blood-tumor barrier (BTB) permeability and thereby the degree of vasogenic edema.Methods. Using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, the authors examined the acute changes in CBV, cerebral blood flow (CBF), and BTB permeability to gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid after administration of dexamethasone in six patients with brain tumors. In patients with acute decreases in BTB permeability after dexamethasone administration, changes in the degree of edema were assessed using the apparent diffusion coefficient of water.Conclusions. Dexamethasone was found to cause a dramatic decrease in BTB permeability and regional CBV but no significant changes in CBF or the degree of edema. The authors found that MR imaging provides a powerful tool for investigating the pathophysiological changes associated with the clinical effects of glucocorticoids.


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.


1984 ◽  
Vol 60 (6) ◽  
pp. 1317-1319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alfred G. Kaschner ◽  
Wilhelm Sandmann ◽  
Heinz Larkamp

✓ This article describes a new flexible bipolar neuroelectrode which is inserted percutaneously into the epidural space for segmental spinal cord stimulation. This electrode was used in experiments with dogs and monkeys for recording cortical somatosensory evoked potentials in order to identify intraoperative spinal cord ischemia during periods of aortic occlusion.


2000 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 1009-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seiji Yamamoto ◽  
Weiyu Teng ◽  
Shigeru Nishizawa ◽  
Takeharu Kakiuchi ◽  
Hideo Tsukada

Object. The hydroxyl radical scavenger (±)-N,N′-propylenedinicotinamide (AVS) has been shown to ameliorate the occurrence of vasospasm following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and to reduce the incidence of delayed ischemic neurological deficits (DINDs) in patients with SAH. The authors investigated whether prophylactic administration of AVS could improve cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral glucose utilization (CGU) following SAH in rats.Methods. Anesthetized rats were subjected to intracisternal injection of blood (SAH group) or saline (control group). Either AVS (1 mg/kg/min) or saline (vehicle group) was continuously injected into the rat femoral vein. Forty-eight hours later, positron emission tomography scanning was used with the tracers 15O-H2O and 18F-2-fluoro-d-glucose to analyze quantitatively CBF and CGU, respectively, in the frontoparietal and occipital regions (12 regions of interest/group).In SAH rats receiving only vehicle, CBF decreased significantly (p < 0.05, Tukey's test) and CGU tended to decrease, compared with values obtained in control (non-SAH) rats receiving vehicle. In rats that were subjected to SAH, administration of AVS significantly (p < 0.05, Tukey's test) improved CBF and CGU in both the frontoparietal and occipital regions compared with administration of vehicle alone.Conclusions. Prophylactic administration of AVS improves CBF and CGU in the rat brain subjected to SAH, and can be a good pharmacological treatment for the prevention of DINDs following SAH.


Neurocirugía ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Clavo ◽  
F. Robaina ◽  
L. Catalá ◽  
M. Lloret ◽  
B. Pinar ◽  
...  

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 937-943 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Boarini ◽  
Neal F. Kassell ◽  
James A. Sprowell ◽  
Julie J. Olin ◽  
Hans C. Coester

✓ Profound arterial hypotension is à commonly used adjunct in surgery for aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations. Hyperventilation with hypocapnia is also used in these patients to increase brain slackness. Both measures reduce cerebral blood flow (CBF). Of concern is whether CBF is reduced below ischemic thresholds when both techniques are employed together. To determine this, 12 mongrel dogs were anesthetized with morphine, nitrous oxide, and oxygen, and then paralyzed with pancuronium and hyperventilated. Arterial pCO2 was controlled by adding CO2 to the inspired gas mixture. Cerebral blood flow was measured at arterial pCO2 levels of 40 and 20 mm Hg both before and after mean arterial pressure was lowered to 40 mm Hg with adenosine enhanced by dipyridamole. In animals where PaCO2 was reduced to 20 mm Hg and mean arterial pressure was reduced to 40 mm Hg, cardiac index decreased 42% from control and total brain blood flow decreased 45% from control while the cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen was unchanged. Hypocapnia with hypotension resulted in small but statistically significant reductions in all regional blood flows, most notably in the brain stem. The reported effects of hypocapnia on CBF during arterial hypotension vary depending on the hypotensive agents used. Profound hypotension induced with adenosine does not eliminate CO2 reactivity, nor does it lower blood flow to ischemic levels in this model, even in the presence of severe hypocapnia.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document