Neurosurgery
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Epilepsy surgeries requiring an operculoinsulectomy pose significant difficulties because the perisylvian area is highly vascular, deep, and functional. ⋯ Surgical treatment of operculoinsular epilepsy is effective in achieving seizure control and is associated with an acceptable long-term complication rate.
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Chronic migraine (CM) is a highly debilitating disease, and many patients remain refractory to medicinal therapy. Given the convergent nature of neuronal networks in the ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM) and the evidence of sensitization of pain circuitry in this disease, we hypothesize CM rats will have increased VPM neuronal firing, which can be attenuated using occipital nerve stimulation (ONS). ⋯ We demonstrate that neuronal spike frequencies and bursting activity in the VPM are increased in an animal model of CM compared to shams. Our results suggest that the mechanism of ONS may involve attenuation of neurons in the VPM of CM rats during the application of mechanical stimuli.