Neuromodulation : journal of the International Neuromodulation Society
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Spinal cord stimulation is commonly used to treat medically intractable pain. Different stimulation designs are used to obtain pain suppression such as tonic stimulation, high frequency stimulation, and burst stimulation. Preliminary analysis of the same data used in this study demonstrated that burst stimulation likely modulates the medial pain pathways in contrast to tonic stimulation. The question arises what different and common supraspinal mechanisms burst and tonic stimulation use. ⋯ These data suggest that burst and tonic stimulation both modulate the descending pain inhibitory system (via pgACC), as well as a self-referential contextual (via PCC) aversive memory system (via parahippocampus). However, burst normalizes the pain supporting/suppressing balance in contrast to tonic mode by a greater effect on the dACC.
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Colonic electrical stimulation (CES) may have a therapeutic potential for slow transit constipation (STC). This study aimed to evaluate the effects of implantable CES on gastrointestinal transit and defecation, and explore its mechanisms in a canine STC model. ⋯ This double-site implantable CES can improve the gastrointestinal transit and defecation in a canine STC model, possibly by activating the cholinergic and nitrergic pathways. The CES mode used in this study may be proven feasible in treating STC.