Neuroprotective effects of high frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus on the substantia nigra neurons

Objective To investigate the neuroprotective effects of high frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus(HFS-STN) on the substantia nigra pars compacta(SNc) neurons.Methods Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups:control group with 10,model group with 15 and stimulation group with 15.To establish the rat models for Parkinson disease(PD),6-hydroxydopamine(6-OHDA) was unilaterally microinjected into the right medial forebrain bundle(MFB) of rats in model group and stimulation group.The behavior change and the morphologic abnormality of SNc dopaminergic neurons of the PD rats were observed and analyzed in the 3 groups.Results The apoptosis rate of SNc neurons was 39.98±12.11% and 41.12±9.23% at weeks 2 and 4 after the operation in the stimulation group,and 61.74±7.82% and 67.12±10.23% in model group respectively,with statistical differences between two groups(P0.05).At 2 weeks,Bcl-2/Bax was 0.39 ±0.15 in model group and 0.84 ±1.01 in stimulation group and at 4 weeks it was 0.30 ±0.58 and 0.88 ±0.81 respectively,with statistical differences between two groups.Conclusion HFS-STN has protective effects on SNc neurons of PD rats,which may be due to the changes of the distribution and metabolism of neurotransmitters in SNc.