DocumentCode :
4843
Title :
Controlled Nerve Ablation With Direct Current: Parameters and Mechanisms
Author :
Ravid, Einat ; Prochazka, A.
Author_Institution :
Div. of Phys. Med. & Rehabilitation, Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Volume :
22
Issue :
6
fYear :
2014
fDate :
Nov. 2014
Firstpage :
1172
Lastpage :
1185
Abstract :
Spastic hypertonus (muscle over-activity) often develops after spinal cord injury or stroke. Chemodenervating agents such as Botulinum toxin A (BtA) and phenol are often used to treat this condition. We have previously shown that the use of direct current (DC) to create controlled lesions of peripheral nerves may provide a means of reducing spastic hypertonus. Here, we explored a range of stimulation parameters that could be used clinically. Nerves were lesioned with DC in chronically implanted animals and the outcome was tracked over many months. In addition, we used DC to ablate nerves in animals with decerebrate rigidity (an animal model of spastic hypertonus) and we explored the possible mechanisms of DC nerve ablation. We found that nerve ablation with DC was effective in reducing hypertonus. Some stimulation paradigms were more likely to be clinically acceptable than others. Furthermore we showed that nerve regeneration occurs in the months following DC nerve ablation and we demonstrated that the ablation procedure is repeatable, much like BtA treatment. Regarding mechanism, our results did not support the hypothesis that DC caused nerve damage by overactivating sodium channels. Rather, the mechanism of damage seems to be related to changes in pH.
Keywords :
bioelectric phenomena; biomembrane transport; drugs; injuries; medical disorders; neuromuscular stimulation; pH; Botulinum toxin A; BtA treatment; DC nerve ablation; ablation procedure; chemodenervating agents; chronically implanted animals; controlled lesions; controlled nerve ablation; decerebrate rigidity; direct current; muscle over-activity; nerve damage; nerve regeneration; overactivating sodium channels; pH; peripheral nerves; phenol; spastic hypertonus reduction; spinal cord injury; stimulation paradigm; stimulation parameters; stroke; Cats; Muscles; Nerve tissues; Patient rehabilitation; Direct current (DC); nerve lesion; spastic hypertonus; stroke;
fLanguage :
English
Journal_Title :
Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, IEEE Transactions on
Publisher :
ieee
ISSN :
1534-4320
Type :
jour
DOI :
10.1109/TNSRE.2014.2307756
Filename :
6748084
Link To Document :
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