title: Spinal cord stimulation suppresses focal rapid firing-induced atrial fibrillation by inhibiting atrial ganglionated plexus activity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to demonstrate that spinal cord stimulation (SCS) could suppress high-frequency stimulation (HFS)-induced focal atrial fibrillation (AF) at atrial and pulmonary vein (PV) sites by inhibiting atrial ganglionated plexus (GP) activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multielectrode catheters were attached to atria and all PV sites. SCS was performed at the T1-T5 spinal region for 1 hour. At the baseline state and the end of 1 hour of SCS, 40 milliseconds of HFS was delivered 2 milliseconds after atrial pacing to determine the AF threshold at each site. One electrode was attached to the superior left GP so that HFS to this site induced sinus rate slowing. Microelectrodes inserted into the anterior right GP recorded neural firing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SCS induced a significant increase in AF threshold at all sites (all P < 0.05). The sinus rate slowing response induced by superior left GP stimulation was blunted by SCS (17% ± 3.6% vs. 39% ± 3.8%, P < 0.05). The frequency (32 ± 4 vs. 87 ± 6 impulses per minute, P < 0.05) and amplitude (0.16 ± 0.02 vs. 0.42 ± 0.04 mv, P < 0.05) of the neural activity recorded from the anterior right GP were markedly inhibited by SCS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SCS may prevent episodic AF caused by rapid PV and non-PV firing through modulating GP activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lilei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Wenbo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Songyun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Xiaoya
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Zhibing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004285:Dogs; D005725:Ganglia, Autonomic / Q000378:metabolism*; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000378:metabolism; D062187:Spinal Cord Stimulation / Q000379:methods*