Electric stimulation in the brain cavity wall to reduce its associated symptoms. A generic approach applied in central post-stroke pain.

Human brains can contain holes or cavities due to brain cell loss, e.g. because of developmental defects, stroke or tumour resection. These cavities often result in various symptoms, such as pain, because the involved brain circuits can no longer function properly. Current treatment options for these symptoms include medication and a technique called deep brain stimulation (DBS). In DBS, metal electrodes are implanted in a specific region of the brain, depending on the clinical syndrome. By applying an electrical current on this electrode, the neural circuitry near the target region can be modified in order to alleviate the clinical symptoms. Currently, DBS is only effective in a limited number of clinical conditions. The goal of this project is to investigate whether it would be possible to use the cavity wall as a DBS target to alleviate clinical symptoms arising from this cavity. This would be a solution in cases where the affected brain circuitry is not well known. To test this hypothesis, we chose one clinical condition associated with a brain cavity: pain arising after a brain infarct, often denoted as central post-stroke pain (CPSP). Using electrodes in or nearby the cavity, we investigate the possibility to improve CPSP symptoms in a rat model and to gain insights in brain cavities, brain circuits and signal alterations in neural circuits involved in central pain.