Effect of anterior thalamic nuclei stimulation on hippocampal neurotransmitters in monkeys with epilepsy

Abstract

Objective To explore the changes of neurotransmitter content during long-term, unilateral anterior thalamus stimulation in monkeys with temporal lobe epilepsy. Methods Eighteen male monkeys were divided into a control group, a sham stimulation group, and a stimulation group (n=6 each group). The anterior thalamic nuclei of the animals in the sham stimulation group and the stimulation group were implanted the deep brain stimulation (DBS) system, and a model of epilepsy was induced by injection of kainic acid in the hippocampus. All the animals in this experiment were extracted by using the microdialysis and high performance liquid chromatography, and the bilateral hippocampal glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid, and aspartic acid content were measured. Results After injection of kainic acid, the aspartic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid content increased significantly in the sham stimulation group (P 0.05). Conclusions The content of neurotransmitters is mainly affected by the ipsilateral hemisphere. The long-term anterior thalamic nucleus stimulation can cause the content of hippocampus neurotransmitters in epileptic monkey hippocampus changes towards a favorable direction. This may be an important mechanism of anterior thalamic nucleus stimulation in the treatment of epilepsy. Key words: Epilepsy; Anterior thalamic nuclei; Deep brain stimulation; Neurotransmitters; Rhesus monkeys