Investigating the Behavioural and Antiapoptotic Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation in a Model of Moderate-to-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a neurological event where an external mechanical force to the brain can lead to devastating effects on physical, cognitive, and/or behavioural function in humans. Currently, no therapeutic approach is substantially efficient in treating prolonged secondary injury from TBI. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a neurosurgical procedure used tomanage debilitating symptoms in motor disorders. While DBS is demonstrated to modulate targeted brain circuitry, its underlying mode of action is yet to be determined. This thesis hypothesizes that high-frequency acute DBS delivered to the anterior thalamic nucleus (ANT) will lead to recovery of memory deficits and reduce anxiety-type behaviour in a well-established TBI rodent model, through a decrease in apoptosis. Salient findings suggest: (i) Acute stimulation of the ANT improved spatial memory in rats with moderate-to-severe TBI, compared to rats receiving no DBS; however, (ii) anti-apoptotic effects after ANT-DBS, as assessed via caspase-3 measurements, were inconclusive.

Year	Entry
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1989	McIntosh TK, Vink R, Noble L, Yamakami I, Fernyak S, Soares H, Faden AL. Traumatic brain injury in the rat: characterization of a lateral fluid-percussion model. Neuroscience. 1989;28(1):233-244.
1974	Teasdale G, Jennett B. Assessment of coma and impaired consciousness: a practical scale. Lancet. July 13, 1974;2(7872):81-84.
1995	Meaney DF, Smith DH, Shreiber DI, Bain AC, Miller RT, Ross DT, Gennarelli TA. Biomechanical analysis of experimental diffuse axonal injury. J Neurotrauma. November 1995;12(4):689-694.
2009	Bauman RA, Ling G, Tong L, Januszkiewicz A, Agoston D, Delanerolle N, Kim Y, Ritzel D, Bell R, Ecklund J, Armonda R, Bandak F, Parks S. An introductory characterization of a combat-casualty-care relevant swine model of closed head injury resulting from exposure to explosive blast. J Neurotrauma. June 2009;26(6):841-860.
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Year

Entry

1988

Lighthall JW. Controlled cortical impact: a new experimental brain injury model. J Neurotrauma. 1988;5(1):1-15.

1989

McIntosh TK, Vink R, Noble L, Yamakami I, Fernyak S, Soares H, Faden AL. Traumatic brain injury in the rat: characterization of a lateral fluid-percussion model. Neuroscience. 1989;28(1):233-244.

1974

Teasdale G, Jennett B. Assessment of coma and impaired consciousness: a practical scale. Lancet. July 13, 1974;2(7872):81-84.

1995

Meaney DF, Smith DH, Shreiber DI, Bain AC, Miller RT, Ross DT, Gennarelli TA. Biomechanical analysis of experimental diffuse axonal injury. J Neurotrauma. November 1995;12(4):689-694.

2009

Bauman RA, Ling G, Tong L, Januszkiewicz A, Agoston D, Delanerolle N, Kim Y, Ritzel D, Bell R, Ecklund J, Armonda R, Bandak F, Parks S. An introductory characterization of a combat-casualty-care relevant swine model of closed head injury resulting from exposure to explosive blast. J Neurotrauma. June 2009;26(6):841-860.