1. Electrophysiological responses from vagus nerve stimulation in rats
- Author
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Lies Mollet, Wytse J. Wadman, Veerle De Herdt, Paul Boon, Ine Dauwe, Kristl Vonck, Jean Delbeke, Riem El Tahry, Alfred Meurs, Annelies Grimonprez, Robrecht Raedt, Staf and Secretary, Neuroprotection & Neuromodulation, and Cellular and Computational Neuroscience (SILS, FNWI)
- Subjects
Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Chronaxie ,Vagus Nerve Stimulation ,Computer Networks and Communications ,business.industry ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Action Potentials ,Vagus Nerve ,Stimulation ,General Medicine ,Nerve conduction velocity ,Rats ,Compound muscle action potential ,Vagus nerve ,Electrophysiology ,Rheobase ,Internal medicine ,Cardiology ,Animals ,Medicine ,Rats, Wistar ,business ,Vagus nerve stimulation - Abstract
The mechanism of action of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) for pharmacoresistant epilepsy is unknown and the therapeutic outcome is highly variable. We investigated stimulation-induced vagus nerve electrophysiological responses in rats using various stimulation parameters. Conduction velocity, I 50, rheobase and chronaxie were calculated. We identified an early and late component corresponding to an afferent compound action potential (CAP) and a remote laryngeal motor-evoked potential (LMEP), respectively. The conduction velocity (CAP: 26.2 ± 1.4 m/s; LMEP: 32.4 ± 2.4 m/s) and I 50 (CAP: 2.4 ± 0.3 mA; LMEP: 1.8±0.2 mA) were significantly different for both components, the rheobase (CAP: 140±30 μA; LMEP: 110±26 μA) and chronaxie (CAP: 66±7 μs; LMEP: 73±9 μs) were not. Using a pulse of 10 μs, the CAP saturated between 4–5 mA. Our method can be used to record VNS-induced electrophysiological responses in rats and provides an objective biomarker for electrical stimulation with various parameters in an experimental set-up. Our findings are potentially useful for clinical purposes in the sense that combination of VNS and recording of vagal nerve CAPs may help clinicians to determine the individual optimal intensity required to fully activate fast-conducting afferent fibers.
- Published
- 2013