title: Spinal cord stimulation improves forelimb use in an alpha-synuclein animal model of Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Neuromodulation by spinal cord stimulation has been proposed as a symptomatic treatment for Parkinson's disease. We tested the chronic effects of spinal cord stimulation in a progressive model of Parkinson's based on overexpression of alpha-synuclein in the substantia nigra. Adult Sprague Dawley rats received unilateral injections of adeno-associated virus serotype 6 (AAV6) in the substantia nigra to express alpha-synuclein. Locomotion and forepaw use of the rats were evaluated during the next 10 weeks. Starting on week 6, a group of AAV6-injected rats received spinal cord stimulation once a week. At the end of the experiment, tyrosine hydroxylase and alpha-synuclein immunostaining were performed. Rats with unilateral alpha-synuclein expression showed a significant decrease in the use of the contralateral forepaw, which was mildly but significantly reverted by spinal cord stimulation applied once a week from the 6th to the 10th week after the AAV6 injection. Long-term spinal cord stimulation proved to be effective to suppress or delay motor symptoms in a sustained and progressive model of Parkinson's and might become an alternative, less invasive neuromodulation option to treat this disease.
authors: a Department of Psychobiology , Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte , Natal , Brazil.|b Edmond and Lily Safra Institute of Neuroscience of Natal , 590660 , Brazil .
authors: Ivani
authors: I
authors: Brys
authors: c Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors: Wojciech
authors: W
authors: Bobela
authors: c Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors: Bernard L
authors: BL
authors: Schneider
authors: c Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) , Lausanne , Switzerland.
authors: Patrick
authors: P
authors: Aebischer
authors: b Edmond and Lily Safra Institute of Neuroscience of Natal , 590660 , Brazil .|d Facultad de Medicina, Programa de Fisiología y Biofísica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas , Universidad de Chile , Santiago , Chile.
authors: Romulo
authors: R
authors: Fuentes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D062187:Spinal Cord Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000378:metabolism; D051844:alpha-Synuclein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D051844:alpha-Synuclein
keywords: Parkinson's disease; alpha-synuclein; spinal cord stimulation