Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic and deep brain stimulation on long‐range synchrony of oscillatory activity in a rat model of developmental schizophrenia. (6th February 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lippmann, Benjamin; Barmashenko, Gleb; Funke, Klaus
• Is Part Of: European journal of neuroscience. Volume 53:Number 8(2021)
• Page Start: 2848
• Page End: 2869
• Publication Date: 2021-02-06
• Subjects: animal model -- DBS -- iTBS -- maternal immune activation -- oscillations -- rTMS -- schizophrenia -- synchrony; Nervous system -- Periodicals; 612.8
• DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15125
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0953-816X

Abstract

Abstract: Aberrant neuronal network activity likely resulting from disturbed interactions of excitatory and inhibitory systems may be a major cause of cognitive deficits in neuropsychiatric diseases, like within the spectrum of schizophrenic phenotypes. In particular, the synchrony and pattern of oscillatory brain activity appears to be disturbed within limbic networks, e.g. between prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. In a rat model of maternal immune activation (MIA), we compared the acute effects of deep brain stimulation within either medial prefrontal cortex or ventral hippocampus with the effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), using the intermittent theta‐burst protocol (iTBS), on oscillatory activity within limbic structures. Simultaneous local field potential recordings were made from medial prefrontal cortex, ventral hippocampus, nucleus accumbens and rostral part of ventral tegmental area before and after deep brain stimulation in anaesthetized rats previously (~3 h) treated with sham or verum rTMS. We found a waxing and waning pattern of theta and gamma activity in all structures which was less synchronous in particular between medial prefrontal cortex and ventral hippocampus in MIA offspring. Deep brain stimulation in medial prefrontal cortex and pre‐treatment with iTBS‐rTMS partly improved this pattern. Gamma‐theta cross‐frequency coupling was stronger in MIA offspring and could partly be reduced by deep brain stimulation in medial prefrontal cortex. We can confirm aberrant limbic network activity in a rat MIA model, and at least acute normalizing effects of the neuromodulatory methods. It has to be proven whether these procedures can have chronic effects suitable for therapeutic purposes. Abstract : Male rat offspring of dams subjected to maternal immune activation (MIA) with the synthetic analogue of viral double stranded RNA polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (PolyIC) showed aberrant synchrony of oscillatory neuronal activity between limbic brain structures. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with intermittent theta‐burst (iTBS) protocol improved long‐range coupling of theta and gamma activity, in particular between medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and ventral hippocampus (vHC). Deep brain stimulation (DBS) within mPFC, but not within vHC, primarily improved local coupling of oscillatory activity.