title: High-frequency stimulation of anterior nucleus thalamus improves impaired cognitive function induced by intra-hippocampal injection of Aβ1-40 in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The advent of brain stimulation techniques to treat movement disorders and psychiatric diseases has shown potential to decode the neural mechanism that underlies the cognitive process by modulating the interrupted circuit. Here, the present investigation aimed at evaluating the influence of deep brain stimulation of the anterior nucleus thalamus (ANT-DBS) on memory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-two rats were randomized into phosphate buffer saline (PBS) group (n = 8, rats received PBS injections without implantation of electrodes into the ANT), Alzheimer's dementia (AD) group (n = 8, rats received Aβ1-40 injections without implantation of electrodes into the ANT), ANT sham stimulation group (n = 8, rats received Aβ1-40 injections with implantation of electrodes into the ANT but without stimulation) and ANT stimulation group (n = 8, rats received Aβ1-40 injections with implantation of electrodes into the ANT and stimulation). A Morris maze test was used for determining the effect of electrical stimulation on cognitive function in rats. The data were assessed statistically with one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's tests for multiple post hoc comparisons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The data showed that in the training test, PBS group and AD group managed to learn the hidden-platform faster and faster while AD group needed a significantly longer time to reach the platform than PBS group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, ANT stimulation group demonstrated a significantly shorter time to reach the platform (P < 0.05) compared to the AD group, while there was no significant difference between the ANT sham stimulation group and the AD group (P > 0.05). On the probe test, the AD group spent less time ((10.15 ± 2.34) seconds) in the target quadrant than the PBS group ((28.20 ± 2.75) seconds) (P < 0.05). And the times of platform-traversing of the AD group (3.35 ± 1.12) significantly decreased compared with the PBS group (8.69 ± 2.87) (P < 0.05). However, the times of platform-traversing and the time spent in the target quadrant of the ANT stimulation group significantly increased compared to the AD group (P < 0.05), while times of platform-traversing or the time spent in the target quadrant was not significantly different between the ANT sham stimulation group and the AD group (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Bilateral high-frequency stimulation of the ANT may be useful as a potential therapeutic modality for cognitive dysfunction in AD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100093, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Sixth People's Hospital of Jinan, Jinan, Shandong 250200, China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Medicine, Sixth People's Hospital of Jinan, Jinan, Shandong 250200, China.
authors.forename: Tingshuang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Yuquan Hospital, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100049, China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Sanbo Brain Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100093, China.
authors.forename: Chunjiang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D020643:Anterior Thalamic Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000628:therapy*; D046690:Deep Brain Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C078592:amyloid beta-protein (1-40)