title: Long-term anti-kindling effects of desynchronizing brain stimulation: a theoretical study.
abstract: In a modeling study we show that desynchronization stimulation may have powerful anti-kindling effects. For this, we incorporate spike-timing-dependent plasticity into a generic network of coupled phase oscillators, which serves as a model network of synaptically interacting neurons. Two states may coexist under spontaneous conditions: a state of uncorrelated firing and a state of pathological synchrony. Appropriate stimulation protocols make the network learn or unlearn the pathological synaptic interactions, respectively. Low-frequency periodic pulse train stimulation causes a kindling. Permanent high-frequency stimulation, used as golden standard for deep brain stimulation in medically refractory movement disorders, basically freezes the synaptic weights. In contrast, desynchronization stimulation, e.g., by means of a multi-site coordinated reset, has powerful long-term anti-kindling effects and enables the network to unlearn pathologically strong synaptic interactions. We propose desynchronization stimulation for the therapy of movement disorders and epilepsies.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medicine and Virtual Institute of Neuromodulation, Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany. P.Tass@fz-juelich.de
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Tass
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Majtanik
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003344:Cortical Synchronization; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic / Q000502:physiology*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D016571:Neural Networks, Computer; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors