Neural Disorders and Potential HFS Treatment

  The medical field is always evolving, and researchers are constantly in search of new and improved treatment methods. For many decades, even to this day, physicians treat neural disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy mostly using medication. However, a more recent focus on magnetic stimulation and high frequency stimulation (HFS), is showing promising results and proving to be very effective at successfully treating neural disorders. Thanks to researchers such as Ye et al., as well as Skach et al, who have worked diligently to examine new treatment methods such as microscopic magnetic stimulation as well as high frequency stimulation (HFS) respectively, physicians can hopefully start utilizing these faster and more effective treatment methods in the very near future.

In the research article “Axonal blockage with microscopic magnetic stimulation” Ye et al. worked to examine the feasibility of axonal blockage by the miniature coil. In order to test the effectiveness of this treatment method, the researchers used a combination of electrophysiological experiments and computational modeling. In order to accomplish this, they specifically designed a system that can deliver sufficient electric current of various frequency and intensity into a commercially available miniature coil. The researchers recorded axonal conductance in the buccal nerve II of the buccal ganglion in Aplysia californica while applying magnetic stimulation to the axon. As a result of this experiment, it was found that high frequency stimulation (HFS) with the miniature coil suppressed action potentials generated by antidromic stimulation. Antidromic stimulation of the BN2 activates B3, B6, B9, and B10 neurons in the buccal ganglion. Furthermore, HFS with miniature coil suppressed action potentials generated by specific soma activation. These results suggest that a population of axons, such as the 2nd largest units in BN2, have been inhibited by the miniature coil. The results of this study are very interesting and exciting. With further research this could lead to a groundbreaking treatment alternative, potentially more effective than standard medication.

Another study “Simulation Study of Intermittent Axonal Block and Desynchronization Effect Induced by High-Frequency Stimulation of Electrical Pulses” Skach et al shared a similar interest in using HFS in order to achieve axonal blockages. As a result, the researchers aimed to study the axonal responses during HFS. In order to do that, they developed a computational model of myelinated axons to simulate sequences of action potentials generated in single and multiple axons by stimulations, and applying the stimulations using a point source of current pulses with a frequency of 50–200 Hz, while taking into account the accumulation of potassium ions in the peri-axonal spaces. As a result of this experiment, it was found that there was an increase of potassium ions in the extracellular space, which generates intermittent depolarization blocks in the axons during the HFS treatment. This results in the axons firing at a much lower rate, and causes asynchronous firing of action potential on axon bundles. This could lead to the suppression of pathological synchronization of target nuclei by generating asynchronous activity in the neurons downstream. These results provide a very promising look into the therapeutic effects of DBS, which will hopefully result in the development of various effective treatments for neural disorders.

Looking at the results of these new treatment methods for neural disorders is very exciting. Hopefully future studies will further examine the effectiveness of such treatments and lead to a standardized HFS treatment for neural disorders. Studies such as these are vital for the field of neuroscience as they look into the effectiveness of our current techniques and ask what can be done to improve them. This type of outlook helps push the field forward, which in term helps medical professionals do a better job at diagnosing and treating patients with a variety of illnesses. With further research, these two methods have great potential to deepen our understanding of neural disorders and how they can be treated effectively using methods such as HFS and magnetic stimulation.