Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society
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Electrical stimulation at the dorsal column (DC) and dorsal root (DR) may inhibit spinal wide-dynamic-range (WDR) neuronal activity in nerve-injured rats. The objective of this study was to determine if applying electrical conditioning stimulation (CS) at both sites provides additive or synergistic benefits. ⋯ These findings suggest that combined stimulation of DC and DR may not be superior to DC stimulation alone for inhibition of WDR neurons.
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The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the safety and feasibility of a six-day protocol of in-hospital repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation combined with intensive swallowing rehabilitation (rPMS-ISR) for poststroke dysphagia. ⋯ The six-day in-hospital RPMS-ISR protocol seems safe and feasible for poststroke patients with dysphagia. The combination protocol improved swallowing function. Further larger studies are needed to confirm its efficacy.
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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) alleviates symptoms associated with some neurological disorders by stimulating specific deep brain targets. However, incomplete stimulation of the target region can provide suboptimal therapy, and spread of stimulation to tissue outside the target can generate side-effects. Existing DBS electrodes generate stimulation profiles that are roughly spherical, neither matching nor enabling the mapping of therapeutic targets. We present a novel electrode design and will perform computational modeling of the new design to investigate its use as a next generation DBS electrode. ⋯ The ability to better match the anatomy and compensate for targeting errors during implantation will enable strict localization of the generated stimulation fields to within target tissues, potentially providing more complete symptom alleviation while reducing the occurrence of side-effects.
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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become the preferred therapy for a growing number of treatment-resistant neuropsychiatric conditions, offering the benefit of being amenable to fine-tuning to enhance its efficacy. However, while some DBS parameters are routinely adjusted, the stimulation is almost always delivered in a continuous "tonic" pattern, which may be suboptimal at times. Our overall aim is to investigate the application of differing levels of rewarding DBS to the reconditioning of behavioral "trigger" and "non-trigger" stimuli in impulse-control disorders (including addiction). As a first step, we used a rat model of nucleus accumbens (NAc) DBS to rigorously compare the relative reward values of different stimulation paradigms. We hypothesized that delivering pulses in a more physiological pattern would prove more rewarding than delivering tonic stimulation. ⋯ These findings highlight that the standard approach of delivering tonic DBS is not optimal under all circumstances. Further research should investigate which DBS paradigms are best for different brain disorders.