深部脑刺激对大鼠丘脑底核神经活动的影响

为了探求高频电刺激对受刺激核团的影响,在高频刺激丘脑底核的同时,同步记录了大鼠丘脑底核神经元活动．针对同步记录中刺激伪迹的难题,研究并应用了高效的刺激伪迹滤出算法,恢复了被掩盖的神经响应,且失真小．研究了刺激幅度、频率与神经元神经响应类型的关系,以及在临床治疗有效刺激参数下,高频刺激对神经元平均放电率的影响．研究结果显示,放电率的变化可能与帕金森症病理状态无直接关系,爆发式放电增多更可能是帕金森发病潜在的电生理基础,而受刺激核团的自发放电的抑制、放电率的降低及爆发式放电的减少则有可能是深部脑刺激作用机制的一部分．     

Design and Fabrication of Ultralight Weight,Adjustable Multi-electrode Probes for Electrophysiological Recordings in Mice

The number of physiological investigations in the mouse, mus musculus, has experienced a recent surge, paralleling the growth in methods of genetic targeting for microcircuit dissection and disease modeling. The introduction of optogenetics, for example, has allowed for bidirectional manipulation of genetically-identified neurons, at an unprecedented temporal resolution. To capitalize on these tools and gain insight into dynamic interactions among brain microcircuits, it is essential that one has the ability to record from ensembles of neurons deep within the brain of this small rodent, in both head-fixed and freely behaving preparations. To record from deep structures and distinct cell layers requires a preparation that allows precise advancement of electrodes towards desired brain regions. To record neural ensembles, it is necessary that each electrode be independently movable, allowing the experimenter to resolve individual cells while leaving neighboring electrodes undisturbed. To do both in a freely behaving mouse requires an electrode drive that is lightweight, resilient, and highly customizable for targeting specific brain structures.A technique for designing and fabricating miniature, ultralight weight, microdrive electrode arrays that are individually customizable and easily assembled from commercially available parts is presented. These devices are easily scalable and can be customized to the structure being targeted; it has been used successfully to record from thalamic and cortical regions in a freely behaving animal during natural behavior.     

Dual Somatic Recordings from Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) Neurons Identified by Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in Hypothalamic Slices

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) is a small neuropeptide that regulates pituitary release of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). These gonadotropins are essential for the regulation of reproductive function. The GnRH-containing neurons are distributed diffusely throughout the hypothalamus and project to the median eminence where they release GnRH from their axon terminals into the hypophysiotropic portal system (1). In the portal capillaries, GnRH travels to the anterior pituitary gland to stimulate release of gonadotropins into systemic circulation. GnRH release is not continuous but rather occurs in episodic pulses. It is well established that the intermittent manner of GnRH release is essential for reproduction (2, 3).Coordination of activity of multiple GnRH neurons probably underlies GnRH pulses. Total peptide content in GnRH neurons is approximately 1.0 pg/cell (4), of which 30% likely comprises the releasable pool. Levels of GnRH during a pulse (5, 6), suggest multiple GnRH neurons are probably involved in neurosecretion. Likewise, single unit activity extracted from hypothalamic multi-unit recordings during LH release indicates changes in activity of multiple neurons (7). The electrodes with recorded activity during LH pulses are associated with either GnRH somata or fibers (8). Therefore, at least some of this activity arises from GnRH neurons.The mechanisms that result in synchronized firing in hypothalamic GnRH neurons are unknown. Elucidating the mechanisms that coordinate firing in GnRH neurons is a complex problem. First, the GnRH neurons are relatively few in number. In rodents, there are 800-2500 GnRH neurons. It is not clear that all GnRH neurons are involved in episodic GnRH release. Moreover, GnRH neurons are diffusely distributed (1). This has complicated our understanding of coordination of firing and has made many technical approaches intractable. We have optimized loose cell-attached recordings in current-clamp mode for the direct detection of action potentials and developed a recording approach that allows for simultaneous recordings from pairs of GnRH neurons.     

大鼠力竭运动中丘脑底核和皮层神经元电活动的变化

目的：探讨力竭过程中丘脑底核（SIN）对皮层兴奋性的调控作用。方法：采用皮层脑电（ECoG）及局部场电（LFPs）同步记录技术,对一次性力竭运动过程中大鼠SIN、皮层神经元电活动变化规律进行同步、动态观察。结果：运动开始阶段大鼠能够自主跟随跑台进行运动,运动持续约45min时（45±11．5min）,自我驱动下的运动能力明显降低;此时STN兴奋性显著增加（P〈0．01）,皮层兴奋性显著下降（P〈0．01）。如果给予大鼠一定的外部刺激后仍可继续运动一段时间直至力竭;力竭即刻皮层兴奋性降到最低值（P〈0．01）,而SIN兴奋性变化不显著（P〉0．05）。结论：大鼠在力竭运动过程中,皮层运动区神经元电活动随着运动疲劳的发生呈现广泛的抑制现象,而SIN神经元电活动在疲劳初期则明显增强,SIN通过负诱导作用参与了运动性中枢疲劳的调控,且STN神经元兴奋性增强可能是皮层实现保护性抑制机制的重要途径之一。     

电刺激大鼠脚内核对脚桥核神经元放电的影响

目的:观察电刺激大鼠脚内核(EP)对大鼠脚桥核(PPN)神经元自发放电的影响,进一步探讨脑内电刺激治疗帕金森病(PD)的机制。方法:应用细胞外记录的方法观察不同频率电刺激(强度0.6 mA,波宽0.06 ms,时程5 s,频率5 Hz、10Hz、20Hz、50Hz、100Hz、150Hz、200Hz)大鼠EP对PPN神经元放电的影响。结果:实验记录了大鼠33个神经元的自发放电,其放电频率在3.6~52.2Hz之间,平均为(15.95±8.56)Hz;当刺激频率为100Hz时,抑制效应最显著(P<0.05)。结论:高频电刺激大鼠EP对PPN神经元自发放电的影响主要为抑制作用,提示高频刺激EP可通过抑制PPN神经元活动参与PD的治疗。     

电刺激大鼠束旁核对底丘脑核和丘脑腹内侧核神经元的影响

本工作旨在探讨电刺激束旁核（parafascicular nucleus,PF）对帕金森病模型（Parkinson’s disease,PD）大鼠神经行为的改善作用及其机制。成年雄性Sprague—Dawley大鼠黑质致密部注射6一羟基多巴胺建立PD大鼠模型。采用行为学方法观察电刺激PF对阿朴吗啡诱发的大鼠旋转行为的作用,并应用在体细胞外记录法观察电刺激PF对大鼠底丘脑核（subthalamic nucleus,STN）及丘脑腹内侧核（ventromedial nucleus,VM）神经元放电的影响。结果发现,高频电刺激（130Hz,0．4mA,5s）PF一周,明显改善PD大鼠旋转行为。细胞外放电记录显示,高频电刺激PF使PD大鼠STN神经元自发放电减少,且该作用具有频率依赖性。另外,高频电刺激PF可使VM神经元兴奋,该作用也是频率依赖性的。我们在实验中同时观察到微电泳谷氨酸（glutamicacid,Glu）受体拮抗剂MK-801使STN神经元放电频率减少或完全抑制,微电泳t氨基丁酸（T-amino butyricacid,GABA）受体拮抗剂印防己毒素（picrotoxin,Pic）则使神经元放电频率增加。以上结果表明,GABA能和GIu能传入纤维可会聚于同-STN神经元,并对后者有紧张性作用。高频刺激PF,使该核团到STN神经元的Glu能兴奋性输出减少,导致STN的失活。这一作用通过基底神经节的间接通路,最终释放了丘脑运动核团VM的活性。高频刺激PF经PF,STN和VM的神经通路而改善PD大鼠神经行为。     

帕金森病丘脑底核神经元的电活动特点

本研究探讨了帕金森病(Parkinson′sdisease, PD)患者丘脑底核(subthalamic nucleus, STN)神经元电活动的特点及其与PD症状的关系.35例PD患者在接受手术治疗的同时, 应用微电极细胞记录和EMG记录技术,记录手术靶点STN及其周围结构神经元的电活动以及手术对侧肢体的EMG.应用分析软件甄别单细胞电活动, 分析其特点及其与肢体EMG的关系.结果表明, STN及其周围结构具有特征性放电活动.在36个记录针道中,共发现436个STN神经元, 平均放电频率44.0±20.5 Hz. 其中, 56%的神经元呈不规则簇状放电;15%呈紧张性放电; 29%呈规则的簇状放电, 其放电节律与肢体震颤的EMG高度一致(r2=0.66,P<0.01), 称之为震颤细胞. 在PD震颤型患者的STN中发现大量震颤细胞,且80%位于STN中上部, 而在PD僵直型患者的STN中均发现与运动相关的细胞电活动.本研究提示, 通过微电极记录技术可准确地判断STN的位置和范围;与震颤活动相关的细胞放电和与运动相关细胞的放电与PD症状有内在关系;STN参与PD运动障碍的病理生理过程.     

Behavioral determination of stimulus pair discrimination of auditory acoustic and electrical stimuli using a classical conditioning and heart-rate approach

Acute animal preparations have been used in research prospectively investigating electrode designs and stimulation techniques for integration into neural auditory prostheses, such as auditory brainstem implants and auditory midbrain implants. While acute experiments can give initial insight to the effectiveness of the implant, testing the chronically implanted and awake animals provides the advantage of examining the psychophysical properties of the sensations induced using implanted devices. Several techniques such as reward-based operant conditioning, conditioned avoidance, or classical fear conditioning have been used to provide behavioral confirmation of detection of a relevant stimulus attribute. Selection of a technique involves balancing aspects including time efficiency (often poor in reward-based approaches), the ability to test a plurality of stimulus attributes simultaneously (limited in conditioned avoidance), and measure reliability of repeated stimuli (a potential constraint when physiological measures are employed). Here, a classical fear conditioning behavioral method is presented which may be used to simultaneously test both detection of a stimulus, and discrimination between two stimuli. Heart-rate is used as a measure of fear response, which reduces or eliminates the requirement for time-consuming video coding for freeze behaviour or other such measures (although such measures could be included to provide convergent evidence). Animals were conditioned using these techniques in three 2-hour conditioning sessions, each providing 48 stimulus trials. Subsequent 48-trial testing sessions were then used to test for detection of each stimulus in presented pairs, and test discrimination between the member stimuli of each pair. This behavioral method is presented in the context of its utilisation in auditory prosthetic research. The implantation of electrocardiogram telemetry devices is shown. Subsequent implantation of brain electrodes into the Cochlear Nucleus, guided by the monitoring of neural responses to acoustic stimuli, and the fixation of the electrode into place for chronic use is likewise shown.     

Optogenetic Functional MRI

The investigation of the functional connectivity of precise neural circuits across the entire intact brain can be achieved through optogenetic functional magnetic resonance imaging (ofMRI), which is a novel technique that combines the relatively high spatial resolution of high-field fMRI with the precision of optogenetic stimulation. Fiber optics that enable delivery of specific wavelengths of light deep into the brain in vivo are implanted into regions of interest in order to specifically stimulate targeted cell types that have been genetically induced to express light-sensitive trans-membrane conductance channels, called opsins. fMRI is used to provide a non-invasive method of determining the brain''s global dynamic response to optogenetic stimulation of specific neural circuits through measurement of the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal, which provides an indirect measurement of neuronal activity. This protocol describes the construction of fiber optic implants, the implantation surgeries, the imaging with photostimulation and the data analysis required to successfully perform ofMRI. In summary, the precise stimulation and whole-brain monitoring ability of ofMRI are crucial factors in making ofMRI a powerful tool for the study of the connectomics of the brain in both healthy and diseased states.     

5,7-双羟色胺损毁大鼠中缝背核后底丘脑核的神经活动增强

采用玻璃微电极在体细胞外记录法,观察了5,7-双羟色胺(5,7-dihydroxytryptamine,5,7-DHT)损毁大鼠中缝背核(dorsalraphenucleus,DRN)后,底丘脑核(subthalamicnucleus,STN)神经元电活动的变化。结果发现,对照组和DRN损毁组大鼠STN神经元的放电频率分别是(6.93±6.55)Hz和(11.27±9.31)Hz,DRN损毁组大鼠的放电频率显著高于对照组(P<0.01)。在对照组大鼠,13%的神经元呈现规则放电,46%为不规则放电,41%为爆发式放电;而在DRN损毁组大鼠,具有规则、不规则和爆发式放电的神经元比例分别为9%、14%和77%,爆发式放电的STN神经元比例明显高于对照组(P<0.01)。结果显示,DRN损毁后大鼠STN神经元的放电频率增高,爆发式放电增多,提示在正常大鼠DRN抑制STN神经元的活动。     

神经降压素对迷走运动背核神经元兴奋作用的离体研究

用细胞内微电极记录方法在大鼠离体脑片中研究了神经降压素(NT)对迷走运动背核(DMV)神经元的作用机制。滴注或灌流NT使88％DMV神经元产生剂量依赖性去极化反应,并伴有膜阻抗的增加。去极化反应的翻转电位约-82mV,反应幅度受灌流液中钾离子浓度的影响。用高镁无钙液或含河豚毒素的灌流液阻断突触传递后,去极化反应仍然存在。研究结果提示NT通过突触后机制直接兴奋DMV神经元,此去极化兴奋作用可能与钾通道的关闭有关。     

Concurrent Electroencephalography Recording During Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS)

Oscillatory brain activities are considered to reflect the basis of rhythmic changes in transmission efficacy across brain networks and are assumed to integrate cognitive neural processes. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) holds the promise to elucidate the causal link between specific frequencies of oscillatory brain activity and cognitive processes. Simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) recording during tACS would offer an opportunity to directly explore immediate neurophysiological effects of tACS. However, it is not trivial to measure EEG signals during tACS, as tACS creates a huge artifact in EEG data. Here we explain how to set up concurrent tACS-EEG experiments. Two necessary considerations for successful EEG recording while applying tACS are highlighted. First, bridging of the tACS and EEG electrodes via leaking EEG gel immediately saturates the EEG amplifier. To avoid bridging via gel, the viscosity of the EEG gel is the most important parameter. The EEG gel must be viscous to avoid bridging, but at the same time sufficiently fluid to create contact between the tACS electrode and the scalp. Second, due to the large amplitude of the tACS artifact, it is important to consider using an EEG system with a high resolution analog-to-digital (A/D) converter. In particular, the magnitude of the tACS artifact can exceed 100 mV at the vicinity of a stimulation electrode when 1 mA tACS is applied. The resolution of the A/D converter is of importance to measure good quality EEG data from the vicinity of the stimulation site. By following these guidelines for the procedures and technical considerations, successful concurrent EEG recording during tACS will be realized.