ABSTRACT
The major chemical generalized seizure model is pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), a compound that provides similarities between human petit mal and grand mal seizures. Focal deep brain stimulation (DBS) is considered a potentially attractive, non-destructive means of stimulating or disrupting local neuronal transmission, and has been successfully introduced in the management strategies for several movement disorders, most notably for tremor and Parkinsonism. The anterior thalamus complex has recently been made a target for DBS trials based on experimental and clinical evidence accumulated over the past several decades. In the light of the limited injury potential to brain tissue during deep brain stimulation, and therefore an attractive technique to pursue in patients, the anticonvulsant effects of high frequency, bilateral AN stimulation was examined in rodents. Although glial 5-HT receptors have been identified in AN, the source of inward currents and depolarization appears to be neuronal and mediate slow membrane depolarizations, as has been described for other G-protein coupled 5-HT receptors.
