来自中国南昌大学附属医院的冯珍团队发现，正中神经电刺激创伤性脑损伤后昏迷状态模型大鼠，能使更多大鼠苏醒，且促进大鼠前额叶皮质中orexin-A及其受体OX1R表达增加，而脑室注射OX1R拮抗剂SB334867则会上述现象。

    生物体兴奋组织对电、机械、化学等的刺激均能产生反应，且电刺激可以控制参数，适度的电刺激即使重复多次也不会产生组织损伤。在临床上，正中神经电刺激广泛应用于促醒昏迷患者。其可能原因是增加脑血流量、促进相关神经递质和神经营养因子的表达。但具体的因素还不是很清楚。而Orexin-A是一种重要的兴奋性下丘脑神经肽，能参与觉醒过程。因此他们希望探究orexin-A在正中神经电刺激后的变化。

    此项研究证实，正中神经电刺激诱导昏迷大鼠前额叶皮质中orexin-A及OX1R表达上调参与了促醒的过程。此项发现既对正中神经电刺激促醒是有力的理论补充，也为临床正中神经电刺激促醒治疗方案提供了实验依据。相关结果发表在《中国神经再生研究（英文版）》杂志2015年4月4期。

    Article: " Resuscitation therapy for traumatic brain injury-induced coma in rats: mechanisms of median nerve electrical stimulation," by Zhen Feng, Ying-jun Zhong, Liang Wang, Tian-qi Wei (Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the First Affliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China)

    Feng Z, Zhong YJ, Wang L, Wei TQ (2015) Resuscitation therapy for traumatic brain injury-induced coma in rats: mechanisms of median nerve electrical stimulation. Neural Regen Res 10(4):594-598.

    Median nerve electrical stimulation is effective for traumatic brain injury-induced coma

    A team of scientists led by Zhen Feng, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, China recently found that median nerve electrical stimulation induced an up-regulation of orexin-A and its receptor OX1R expression in the prefrontal cortex of traumatic brain injury-induced coma rats and showed an arousal-promoting effects. After the OX1R antagonist, SB334867, was injected into the brain of rats after traumatic brain injury, fewer rats restored consciousness.

    The living body can generate response to electrical, mechanical and chemical stimuli. Electrical stimulation parameters can be precisely controlled and appropriate intensity of electrical stimulation, even more times, will hardly lead to tissue injury. Median nerve electrical stimulation has been widely used to wake comatose patients. The underlying mechanism may be associated with the fact that it can accelerate cerebral blood flow and increase the expression of neurotransmitter and neurotrophic factor. But the precise mechanisms remain unclear. Orexin-A is a hypothalamic neuropeptide, which is involved in a number of physiological functions such as feeding, energy homeostasis, and wakefulness. Therefore, Zhen Feng et al. investigated the expression change of orexin-A after median nerve electrical stimulation.

    Zhen Feng et al. confirmed that median nerve electrical stimulation induced an up-regulation of orexin-A and OX1R expression in the prefrontal cortex of traumatic brain injury-induced coma rats, which may be a potential mechanism involved in the wake-promoting effects of median nerve electrical stimulation. These findings provide experimental evidence for clinical use of median nerve electrical stimulation to wake comatose patients. This study has been recently reported in Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 10, No. 4, 2015).

 

    Article: " Resuscitation therapy for traumatic brain injury-induced coma in rats: mechanisms of median nerve electrical stimulation," by Zhen Feng, Ying-jun Zhong, Liang Wang, Tian-qi Wei (Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, the First Affliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China)

    Feng Z, Zhong YJ, Wang L, Wei TQ (2015) Resuscitation therapy for traumatic brain injury-induced coma in rats: mechanisms of median nerve electrical stimulation. Neural Regen Res 10(4):594-598