Spinal Cord Stimulation Frequency Influences the Hemodynamic Response in Patients with Disorders of Consciousness
Juanning Si1 • Yuanyuan Dang2 • Yujin Zhang3,4 • Yaxin Li1 • Wenyue Zhang1 • Yi Yang2 • Yue Cui3,4 • Xiaoping Lou1 • Jianghong He2,* • Tianzi Jiang3,4,5,6,7,*
1School of Instrumentation Science and Opto-electronics Engineering, Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Beijing 100192, China
2Department of Neurosurgery, People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing 100700, China
3Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
4National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
5Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 625014, China
6Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Brain Science, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
7Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QL 4072, Australia
Abstract
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a promising technique for treating disorders of consciousness (DOCs). However, differences in the spatio-temporal responsiveness of the brain under varied SCS parameters remain unclear. In this pilot study, functional near-infrared spectroscopy was used to measure the hemodynamic responses of 10 DOC patients to different SCS frequencies (5 Hz, 10 Hz, 50 Hz, 70 Hz, and 100 Hz). In the prefrontal cortex, a key area in consciousness circuits, we found significantly increased hemodynamic responses at 70 Hz and 100 Hz, and significantly different hemodynamic responses between 50 Hz and 70 Hz/100 Hz. In addition, the functional connectivity between prefrontal and occipital areas was significantly improved with SCS at 70 Hz. These results demonstrated that SCS modulates the hemodynamic responses and long-range connectivity in a frequency-specific manner (with 70 Hz apparently better), perhaps by improving the cerebral blood volume and information transmission through the reticular formation-thalamus-cortex pathway.
Keywords
Disorder of consciousness; Spinal cord stimulation; Frequency; Functional near-infrared spectroscopy; Hemodynamic response
