Effect of 30 minutes SCS or sham stimulation on the intensity of the AFI signal and area of excitation in response to sciatic nerve electrical stimulation, in rats with partial ligation of the proximal sciatic nerve (Seltzer model).
<p>(A,D) Images of background fluorescence of the dorsal surface of the spinal cord at T13 of a sham (A) and SCS treated rat (D). (B,E) Area of excitation (yellow) on the ipsilateral side, directly after sham stimulation (B); after SCS, in this rat, there is no area exceeding the predefined ΔF/F level (E). (C) Time course of the intensity of the AFI signal after SCS or sham stimulation (T = 0 min), as a percentage of ΔF/F before treatment (T = -30 min), in 20×20 pixel square selections on the ipsilateral side at the L4-L6 spinal level. (F) Mean areas of excitation on the ipsilateral side directly after SCS or sham stimulation (T = 0 min), as a percentage of the areas before treatment (T = -30 min). Scale bar, 1 mm; Grayscale bar ranging from −0.75% (black) to +0.75% (white) of the 16-bit range; Error bars indicate SEM; *<i>p</i><0.05; paired <i>t</i>-tests; <i>n</i> = 7 SCS, <i>n</i> = 6 sham stimulation.</p
