Motor and Nonmotor Circuitry Activation Induced by Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation in Patients With Parkinson Disease: Intraoperative Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Deep Brain Stimulation.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis suggested by previous studies that subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) in patients with Parkinson disease would affect the activity of motor and nonmotor networks, we applied intraoperative functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to patients receiving DBS. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten patients receiving STN DBS for Parkinson disease underwent intraoperative 1.5-T fMRI during high-frequency stimulation delivered via an external pulse generator. The study was conducted between January 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014. RESULTS: We observed blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes (false discovery rate <0.001) in the motor circuitry (including the primary motor, premotor, and supplementary motor cortices; thalamus; pedunculopontine nucleus; and cerebellum) and in the limbic circuitry (including the cingulate and insular cortices). Activation of the motor network was observed also after applying a Bonferroni correction (P<.001) to the data set, suggesting that across patients, BOLD changes in the motor circuitry are more consistent compared with those occurring in the nonmotor network. CONCLUSION: These findings support the modulatory role of STN DBS on the activity of motor and nonmotor networks and suggest complex mechanisms as the basis of the efficacy of this treatment modality. Furthermore, these results suggest that across patients, BOLD changes in the motor circuitry are more consistent than those in the nonmotor network. With further studies combining the use of real-time intraoperative fMRI with clinical outcomes in patients treated with DBS, functional imaging techniques have the potential not only to elucidate the mechanisms of DBS functioning but also to guide and assist in the surgical treatment of patients affected by movement and neuropsychiatric disorders. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01809613.

Combined optical and electrochemical methods for studying electrochemistry at the single molecule and single particle level: recent progress and perspectives.

We present a review of recent efforts aimed at understanding interfacial charge transfer at the single molecule and single nanoparticle level using the combined methods of traditional electrochemistry and optical spectroscopy with high spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution. Elastic light scattering, surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), fluorescence, and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) techniques have been demonstrated to be powerful tools for the study of interfacial charge transfer events involving a single molecule or nanoparticle and for the characterization of nanostructured electrodes. It is shown that these optical methods enable the exploration of electrochemical events with improved temporal and spatial resolution which are usually obstructed by the ensemble averaging inherent in conventional electrochemical methods. In this report, the current status of the field is reviewed and challenges for future work are discussed.

Spatial and temporal variation of surface-enhanced Raman scattering at Ag nanowires in aqueous solution.

The spatial and temporal variation of local field enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) at Ag nanowires (NWs) in aqueous solution is presented for an improved understanding of the NW structure-SERS enhancement capability relationship. Crossed Ag NWs and Ag NW bundles are found to have SERS enhancement factors much higher than single Ag NWs because of the higher density of interstitials formed by strong surface plasmon coupling when the wires are close to each other. The role of the interstitials of Ag NWs is enhanced by using unpurified Ag NWs containing Ag nanoparticles or decorating the Ag NWs surface with gold nanoparticles using galvanic replacement reaction and electroless deposition methods. This leads to an improved SERS enhancement capability as compared to purified single Ag NWs. Raman imaging reveals a different temporal response of the SERS signal in aqueous solution in comparison to the photoluminescence background of Ag NWs in the absence of Raman-active molecules. Such a different temporal response can be potentially used to separate the SERS signal from the fluorescence background. The Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA) method is used for the first time to calculate the local field intensity of two crossed and parallel Ag NWs. Heterogeneities in the SERS spatial distribution of the interstitials and their incident-light polarization dependence are illustrated by comparing the SEM image of a selected unpurified Ag NW bundle with its Raman image.

Highly conductive nanostructured C-TiO2 electrodes with enhanced electrochemical stability and double layer charge storage capacitance.

The present work reports the structural and electrochemical properties of carbon-modified nanostructured TiO(2) electrodes (C-TiO(2)) prepared by anodizing titanium in a fluoride-based electrolyte followed by thermal annealing in an atmosphere of methane and hydrogen in the presence of Fe precursors. The C-TiO(2) nanostructured electrodes are highly conductive and contain more than 1 × 10(10) /cm(2) of nanowires or nanotubes to enhance their double layer charge capacitance and electrochemical stability. Electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) study shows that a C-TiO(2) electrode can replace noble metal electrodes for ultrasensitive ECL detection. Dynamic potential control experiments of redox reactions show that the C-TiO(2) electrode has a broad potential window for a redox reaction. Double layer charging capacitance of the C-TiO(2) electrode is found to be 3 orders of magnitude higher than an ideal planar electrode because of its high surface area and efficient charge collection capability from the nanowire structured surface. The effect of anodization voltage, surface treatment with Fe precursors for carbon modification, the barrier layer between the Ti substrate, and anodized layer on the double layer charging capacitance is studied. Ferrocene carboxylic acid binds covalently to the anodized Ti surface forming a self-assembled monolayer, serving as an ideal precursor layer to yield C-TiO(2) electrodes with better double layer charging performance than the other precursors.

Analysis of the time course of the effect of subthalamic nucleus stimulation upon hand function in Parkinson's patients.

BACKGROUND: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) as treatment for Parkinson's disease has been in use for more than a decade, yet the immediate effect of stimulation upon movement parameters is not well characterized. OBJECTIVE: The goal of the current study is the identification of the best time point to test hand function after programming DBS devices. METHODS: Reaction time, movement time and velocity were measured at multiple time points with a movement-sensitive glove after the deep brain stimulator had been turned on or off, during 'off medication' conditions. RESULTS: Velocity, movement time and reaction time worsened significantly in the first 20 min after the deep brain stimulator had been turned off. A 'plateau effect' after 20 min was not observed. Initiation of stimulation led to immediate significant increases in movement time and velocity and to a lesser degree a decrease in reaction time. Patients performed more inconsistently over time after onset of stimulation compared to stimulation withdrawal. Intraoperative testing showed an immediate improvement in velocity after placement of the STN deep brain stimulator. CONCLUSION: Movement time and velocity already reach their peak changes within 20 min after the deep brain stimulator has been reprogrammed, and therefore, this time point may be used to test the maximal clinical effect of stimulation.

Photoluminescence and spectroelectrochemistry of single ag nanowires.

We present strong photoluminescence from single Ag nanowires (NWs), their disordered blinking behavior, and their dependence on substrate potential. The stochastic bursts (<10 ms) in the photoluminescence trajectories of single Ag NWs in air are observed and attributed to the photoactivated fluorescence silver clusters. The dynamic changes in the photoluminescence are analyzed using autocorrelation function, statistical analysis of the stochastic durations, and probability density function to reveal the disordered nature of the spontaneous photochemical reaction at each individual Ag NWs under laser irradiation. Stable PL is observed for single Ag NWs in alkaline electrolyte and is found to be highly dependent on the electrochemical potential. The PL from single Ag NWs is found to be weakly dependent on polarization direction of the incident light and strongly dependent on the interactions with adjacent NWs.

A hippocampal NR2B deficit can mimic age-related changes in long-term potentiation and spatial learning in the Fischer 344 rat.

Aged rats are known to have deficits in spatial learning behavior in the Morris water maze. We have found that aged rats also have deficits in NR2B protein expression and that the protein expression deficit is correlated with their performance in the Morris water maze. To test whether this NR2B deficit was sufficient to account for the behavioral deficit, we used antisense oligonucleotides to specifically knock down NR2B subunit expression in the hippocampus of young rats. NR2B antisense treatment diminished NMDA receptor responses, abolished NMDA-dependent long-term potentiation (LTP), and impaired spatial learning. These data demonstrate the important role of NR2B in LTP and learning and memory and suggest a role for reduced NR2B expression in age-related cognitive decline.

Aging and surface expression of hippocampal NMDA receptors.

Aging is known to alter many physiological processes within the brain including synaptic responses, long-term potentiation, learning, and memory. Aging has also been shown to alter the expression and distribution of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in many different brain regions, including the hippocampus. Additionally, we have recently reported that young adult rats show an activity-dependent increase in the surface expression of NMDA receptors. We have extended these observations in the present study in aged animals and have found that aged Fischer 344 rats fail to show activity-dependent changes in the surface distribution of NMDA receptors. In conjunction with this observation we have also noted that aged rats show an expression deficit in the C2 splice variant of the NR1 subunit. This subunit is preferentially shifted to the surface following stimulation in young adult animals. As the NMDA receptor is thought to play an important role in neuronal signaling, these observations suggest possible new areas of dysfunction in this receptor that might underlie age-related deficits in neuronal physiology.