An interstitial radiofrequency needle electrode system was constructed for interstitial heating of brain tissue. Radiofrequency electrodes with Thermotron RF 8 were tested in an agar phantom and in a normal canine brain to determine how variations in physical factors affected temperature distributions. Temperature distributions were checked after heating with 1 mm diameter needle electrode implants on the corners of 1 and 2 cm squares in a phantom and plot isotherms for various electrodes arrangement. We observed that the 1 cm square array would heat a volume with a 1.25 cm radius circular field cross section to therapeutic temperatures ($90\%$ relative SAR using Tm) and the 2 cm square array with a 1.75 cm radius rectangular field with central inhomogeneity. With 2 cm long electrode implants, we observed that the 1 cm square array would heat a 3 cm long sagittal section to therapeutic temperature ($90\%$ relative SAR using Tm). We found that radiofrequency electrodes could be selected to match the length of the heating area without affecting its performance. The histopathological changes associated with RF heating of normal canine brains have been correlated with thermal distributions. RF needle electrode heating was applied for 50min to generate tissue temperatures of $43^{circ}C$. We obtained a quarter of the heated tissue material immediately after heating and sacrificed at intervals from $7sim30$days. The acute stage (immediately after heating) was demonstrated by liquefactive necrosis, pyknosis of neuronal element in the gray matter and by some polymer-phonuclear leukocytes infiltration. The appearance of lipid-laden macrophages surrounding the area of liquefaction necrosis was demonstrated in all three sacrificed dogs. Mild gliosis occurring around the necrosis was demonstrated in the last sacrificed (Days 30) canine brain.