Event Title
The Effects of Cerebellar Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) on Rat Thalamic Neuronal Firing Rates in the Ventral Lateral and Ventral Medial Nuclei using in vivo Approach
Location
Suwanee, GA
Start Date
11-5-2023 1:00 PM
End Date
11-5-2023 4:00 PM
Description
The cerebellum plays a role in coordination and creating postural adjustments to maintain balance. The output of the cerebellum reaches the cerebral cortex through the thalamus. Within the aforementioned pathway, the ventral medial (VM) and ventral lateral (VL) thalamic nuclei can be differentiated. Patients with ataxic disorders present with uncoordinated motion due to damage in the cerebellum and related regions. Investigation of the electrophysiological relationships between the cerebellum and thalamus could better characterize pathways implicated in ataxic disorders and reveal potential targets for future the therapeutic management of these conditions. In order to study the thalamic response to cerebellar stimulation, recordings of the electrical activity from neurons in the ventral medial (VM) and ventral lateral (VL) thalamic nuclei were taken from male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=10). The procedure required administration of an anesthetic cocktail containing ketamine, xylazine, and acepromazine after the use of isoflurane for initial anesthetization. A stereotaxic apparatus was used for the surgery. Two holes were prepared in the skull (1.5 mm lateral, 3.0 mm posterior to the bregma). Recordings were established at various sites from a depth of 5.5 mm to 7.5 mm from the cortical surface to cover the entire depth of the VM and VL. Coordinates were determined using Atlas (Paxinos, 2007). Data analysis was performed using Matlab software. Ten recordings were taken from VL with an average depth of 5.91 mm and ten recordings were taken from VM with an average depth of 6.87 mm. Data analysis of single unit studies demonstrated no significant difference between pre-stimulation control groups and the tES stimulation groups, consistent with previous analyses (p=0.53). Furthermore, assessment of the mean differences amongst VM and VL groups revealed no significant difference from baseline following tES (p=0.54). However, analysis based on inhibitory effects showed a significant difference from baseline (p=0.004). Potential differences as calculated in these two regions could provide critical insights to the functional intricacies of the cerebellum. The interaction of these will help us understand more about ataxic disorders. Next steps include adding an additional electrode into the cerebral cortex to further analyze tES effects.
Embargo Period
5-31-2023
The Effects of Cerebellar Transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) on Rat Thalamic Neuronal Firing Rates in the Ventral Lateral and Ventral Medial Nuclei using in vivo Approach
Suwanee, GA
The cerebellum plays a role in coordination and creating postural adjustments to maintain balance. The output of the cerebellum reaches the cerebral cortex through the thalamus. Within the aforementioned pathway, the ventral medial (VM) and ventral lateral (VL) thalamic nuclei can be differentiated. Patients with ataxic disorders present with uncoordinated motion due to damage in the cerebellum and related regions. Investigation of the electrophysiological relationships between the cerebellum and thalamus could better characterize pathways implicated in ataxic disorders and reveal potential targets for future the therapeutic management of these conditions. In order to study the thalamic response to cerebellar stimulation, recordings of the electrical activity from neurons in the ventral medial (VM) and ventral lateral (VL) thalamic nuclei were taken from male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=10). The procedure required administration of an anesthetic cocktail containing ketamine, xylazine, and acepromazine after the use of isoflurane for initial anesthetization. A stereotaxic apparatus was used for the surgery. Two holes were prepared in the skull (1.5 mm lateral, 3.0 mm posterior to the bregma). Recordings were established at various sites from a depth of 5.5 mm to 7.5 mm from the cortical surface to cover the entire depth of the VM and VL. Coordinates were determined using Atlas (Paxinos, 2007). Data analysis was performed using Matlab software. Ten recordings were taken from VL with an average depth of 5.91 mm and ten recordings were taken from VM with an average depth of 6.87 mm. Data analysis of single unit studies demonstrated no significant difference between pre-stimulation control groups and the tES stimulation groups, consistent with previous analyses (p=0.53). Furthermore, assessment of the mean differences amongst VM and VL groups revealed no significant difference from baseline following tES (p=0.54). However, analysis based on inhibitory effects showed a significant difference from baseline (p=0.004). Potential differences as calculated in these two regions could provide critical insights to the functional intricacies of the cerebellum. The interaction of these will help us understand more about ataxic disorders. Next steps include adding an additional electrode into the cerebral cortex to further analyze tES effects.