Central mechanisms of gastric electrical stimulation involving neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus in rats

Background: Gastric electrical stimulation (GES) has been shown to be effective in inducing satiety in patients with obesity, as well as in treating nausea and vomiting in patients with gastroparesis. It is conceivable that these effects are mediated via the central nervous system, although there is a lack of studies or evidences. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of GES with different parameters on neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus and to study whether the neuronal response was related to stimulation parameters. Methods: Extracellular potentials of single neurons in the PVN were recorded in anesthetized rats at baseline, during gastric distention (GD) and during GES with various sets of parameters. Results: Of 115 PVN neurons tested by GD, 104 were GD-responsive neurons. Most of these GD-responsive neurons were responsive to GES of various parameters. 1) GES with parameters used in treating obesity, activated neurons both excited (GD-E) and inhibited (GD-I) by gastric distention; it excited 48.4% (16/33) of the GD-E neurons and 60.4% (29/48) of GD-I neurons. 2) GES with increased pulse width was of the highest efficacy in exciting the GD-responsive neurons, whereas a reduction in stimulation frequency resulted in a lower activation. 3) GES with parameters used in treating gastroparesis solicited neuronal responses opposite to those with parameters used for treating obesity. Conclusion: GES activates gastric-related neurons in the PVN, and the excitatory effect of GES seems related to stimulation strength. The GES used for treating gastroparesis and the GES used for treating obesity seem to solicit different neuronal responses in the PVN.