Seizure control by low-intensity ultrasound in mice with temporal lobe epilepsy.

BACKGROUND: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of focal epilepsy. Recent studies have demonstrated that ultrasound stimulation can inhibit spontaneous recurrent seizures and improve behavioral outcomes for rodents with TLE. However, the exact underlying mechanism for inhibition of TLE via ultrasound stimulation remains unknown.

METHODS: In this study, low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation (LIPUS) and low-intensity continuous ultrasound stimulation (LICUS) and concurrent local field potentials (LFPs) in the CA3 field of the hippocampus were recorded in the kainite-induced mouse model of TLE. The power spectrum and the phase-amplitude coupling in the LFPs were quantitatively analyzed.

RESULTS: We found three significant changes in LFPs after ultrasound stimulation: (i) the intensity of the power spectrum in the low frequency (<10 Hz) was significantly decreased (p < 0.01); (ii) the phase amplitude coupling strength between slow (delta-, theta-, and alpha-frequency bands) and fast (gamma frequency bands) neural oscillations were weakened (p < 0.01); (iii) the interval between seizures was significantly increased (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the seizures of TLE can be effectively inhibited by ultrasound stimulation, and this effect is independent of ultrasound type (pulsed or continuous).