Cortical stimulation in conscious rats controls joint inflammation

Publication date: Available online 6 March 2018 Source:Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry Author(s): Gabriel Shimizu Bassi, Luis Ulloa, Victor Rodrigues Santos, Flávio Del Vecchio, Polianna Delfino-Pereira, Gerson Jonathan Rodrigues, Jaci Airton Castania, Fernando Queiróz Cunha, Hélio Cesar Salgado, Thiago Mattar Cunha, Norberto Garcia-Cairasco, Alexandre Kanashiro The neuronal control of the immune system is fundamental to the development of new therapeutic strategies for inflammatory disorders. Recent studies reported that afferent vagal stimulation attenuates peripheral inflammation by activating specific sympathetic central and peripheral networks, but only few subcortical brain areas were investigated. In the present study, we report that afferent vagal stimulation also activates specific cortical areas, as the parietal and cingulate cortex. Since these cortical structures innervate sympathetic-related areas, we investigate whether electrical stimulation of parietal cortex can attenuate knee joint inflammation in non-anesthetized rats. Our results show that cortical stimulation in rats increased sympathetic activity and improved joint inflammatory parameters, such as local neutrophil infiltration and pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, without causing behavioral disturbance, brain epileptiform activity or neural damage. In addition, we superposed the areas activated by afferent vagal or cortical stimulation to map common central...
Source: Progress in Neuro Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research