THE EFFECT OF HIGH AND LOW FREQUENCY CORTICAL STIMULATION WITH A FIXED OR A POISSON DISTRIBUTED INTERPULSE INTERVAL ON CORTICAL EXCITABILITY IN RATS

Neurostimulation is a promising treatment for refractory epilepsy. We studied the effect of cortical stimulation with different parameters in the rat motor cortex stimulation model. High intensity simulation (threshold for motor response - 100 mu A), high frequency (130 Hz) stimulation during 1 h decreased cortical excitability, irrespective of the interpulse interval used (fixed or Poisson distributed). Low intensity (10 mu A) and/or low frequency (5Hz) stimulation had no effect. Cortical stimulation appears promising for the treatment of neocortical epilepsy if frequency and intensity are high enough.