Responses of cortical neurons to intracortical microstimulation in awake primates

Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is commonly used in many experimental and clinical paradigms; however, its effects on the activation of neurons are still not completely understood. To document the responses of cortical neurons in non-human primates to stimulation, we recorded single unit activity while delivering single-pulse stimulation via Utah arrays implanted in primary motor cortex of three macaque monkeys. Stimuli between 5-50 A delivered to single channels reliably evoked spikes in neurons recorded throughout the array with delays of up to 12 milliseconds. ICMS pulses also induced a period of inhibition lasting up to 150 ms that typically followed the initial excitatory response. Higher current amplitudes led to a greater probability of evoking a spike and extended the duration of inhibition. The likelihood of evoking a spike in a neuron was dependent on the spontaneous firing rate as well as the delay between its most recent spike time and stimulus onset. Tonic repetitive stimulation between 2 and 20 Hz often modulated both the probability of evoking spikes and the duration of inhibition, although high frequency stimulation in particular was more likely to change both responses. On a trial-by-trial basis, whether a stimulus evoked a spike did not affect the subsequent inhibitory response; however, their changes over time were frequently positively or negatively correlated. Our results document the complex dynamics of cortical neural responses to electrical stimulation that need to be considered when utilizing ICMS for scientific and clinical applications. Significance statementIntracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is commonly used to probe the cortex, and previous studies have characterized the responses of single neurons to ICMS. However, these studies typically explored the averaged effects of ICMS throughout each experimental session, rather than by a trial-by-trial basis for each stimulation pulse. By shifting the approach, we explored the dependence of neural responses to ICMS on the spontaneous neural activity as well as the dynamics of responses over time due to repetitive stimulation. Our results highlight how the responses of neurons to ICMS are likely the result of interactions between local excitatory and inhibitory cortical circuits. These results will help inform the design of ICMS for both basic research and clinically relevant stimulation protocols.