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In Vivo Measurements Reveal that Both Low- and High-frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation Heterogeneously Modulate Superficial Dorsal Horn Neurons.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Kuo, S-W; Zhang, T; Esteller, R; Grill, WM
Published in: Neuroscience
June 2023

Current sub-perception spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is characterized by the use of high-frequency pulses to achieve paresthesia-free analgesic effects. High-frequency SCS demonstrates distinctive properties from paresthesia-based SCS, such as a longer time course to response, implying the existence of alternative mechanism(s) of action beyond gate control theory. We quantified the responses to SCS of single neurons within the superficial dorsal horn (SDH), a structure in close proximity to SCS electrodes, to investigate the mechanisms underlying high-frequency SCS in 62 urethane-anesthetized male rats. Sciatic nerve stimulation was delivered to isolate lumbar SDH neurons with evoked C-fiber activity. The evoked C-fiber activity before and after the application of SCS was compared to quantify the effects of SCS across stimulation intensity and stimulation duration at three different stimulation frequencies. We observed heterogeneous responses of SDH neurons which depended primarily on the type of unit. Low-threshold units with spontaneous activity, putatively inhibitory interneurons, tended to be facilitated by SCS while the other unit types were suppressed. The effects of SCS were more prominent with increased stimulation duration from 30 s to 30 m across frequencies. Our results highlight the importance of inhibitory interneurons in modulating local circuits of the SDH and the importance of local circuit contributions to the analgesic mechanisms of SCS.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Neuroscience

DOI

EISSN

1873-7544

ISSN

0306-4522

Publication Date

June 2023

Volume

520

Start / End Page

119 / 131

Related Subject Headings

  • Spinal Cord Stimulation
  • Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn
  • Spinal Cord
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Rats
  • Posterior Horn Cells
  • Neurons
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Male
  • Animals
 

Citation

APA
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ICMJE
MLA
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Kuo, S.-W., Zhang, T., Esteller, R., & Grill, W. M. (2023). In Vivo Measurements Reveal that Both Low- and High-frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation Heterogeneously Modulate Superficial Dorsal Horn Neurons. Neuroscience, 520, 119–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.04.010
Kuo, Su-Wei, Tianhe Zhang, Rosana Esteller, and Warren M. Grill. “In Vivo Measurements Reveal that Both Low- and High-frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation Heterogeneously Modulate Superficial Dorsal Horn Neurons.Neuroscience 520 (June 2023): 119–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.04.010.
Kuo, Su-Wei, et al. “In Vivo Measurements Reveal that Both Low- and High-frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation Heterogeneously Modulate Superficial Dorsal Horn Neurons.Neuroscience, vol. 520, June 2023, pp. 119–31. Epmc, doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.04.010.
Journal cover image

Published In

Neuroscience

DOI

EISSN

1873-7544

ISSN

0306-4522

Publication Date

June 2023

Volume

520

Start / End Page

119 / 131

Related Subject Headings

  • Spinal Cord Stimulation
  • Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn
  • Spinal Cord
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Rats
  • Posterior Horn Cells
  • Neurons
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Male
  • Animals