Abstract
Background: Gait impairment after stroke is considered as a loss of cerebral function but is also the result of dysfunctional cerebral signals travelling to the spinal motor centres. A therapeutic option to restore disturbed cerebral network activity is deep brain stimulation (DBS).
Methods: A promising target for neuromodulation might be the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg), which contributes to the initiation and control of gait. To test this hypothesis, we trained eighteen rats to cross a horizontal ladder and a wooden beam before inflicting a photothrombosis in the right sensorimotor cortex and implanting a stimulating electrode in the ipsilateral PPTg.
Results: Continuous high-frequency DBS (130 Hz; amplitude 55 ± 5 μA) of rats for 10 days yielded no significant improvement of skilled walking when examined with the ladder rung walking test and beam walking test compared to sham-stimulation.
Conclusion: In contrast to DBS of the cuneiform nucleus, PPTg-stimulation improves neither control of gait nor balance after stroke.
Keywords: Deep brain stimulation, pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus, mesencephalic locomotor region, photothrombotic stroke, gait restoration, Beam-Walking-Test, Ladder-Rung-Walking-Test.
Graphical Abstract
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