title: [Effect of cortical spreading depression on spontaneous firing activities of STN neurons in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the effect of cortical spreading depression (CSD) on the spontaneous firing activities of neurons of subthalamic nucleus (STN) in normal and model rat of Parkinson's disease (PD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Extracellular recording was used to research the neuronal electric activities in subthalamic neurons. The changes of the discharge rates of subthalamic neurons were observed in control and PD rats after intracortical microinjection of KCl solution.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The discharge rates of subthalamic neurons in control and PD rats were (9.78 +/- 0.71) Hz and (23.81 +/- 1.08) Hz, respectively. The discharge rate of PD rats was increased significantly when compared with those of the control rats and the percentage of neurons discharging in bursts was obviously higher than those of control rats (P < 0.01). After a long latent period secondary to intracortical injection of KCl solution, the discharge rates in both group of subthalamic neurons were decreased apparently, then recovered slowly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The discharge rate and bursting pattern are increased in PD rats and these abnormal activities can be improved by cortical depression. This result indicates that the changes in cortical excitability may be one of the factors increasing the activity of STN in PD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Jinzhou Medical College, Jinzhou 121001, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Dong-Ming
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D013181:Cortical Spreading Depression / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020531:Subthalamic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*