Suppression of spontaneous epileptiform activity with applied currents.

It has been well established that both applied and endogenous electric fields can modulate neuronal activity in various preparations. In this paper, we present the effects of applied currents on spontaneous epileptiform activity in the CA1 region of the rat hippocampus. A computer-controlled system was designed to detect the spontaneous abnormal activity and then apply current pulses of programmable amplitude with monopolar electrodes in the stratum pyramidale. The epileptiform activity was generated by subperfusion of the neural tissue with an elevated potassium artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) solution. Extracellular recordings showed that the interictal bursts could be fully suppressed in 90% of the slices by subthreshold currents with an average amplitude of 12.5 microA. Intracellular recordings showed that the anodic currents generated hyperpolarization of the somatic membrane thereby suppressing neuronal firing. This inhibitory effect of applied current pulses is important for the understanding of electric field effects on abnormal neuronal activity and could be an effective means of preventing the spread of epileptiform activity.