Therapeutic effects of a novel electrode for transcranial direct current stimulation in ischemic stroke mice
Non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a promising stimulation tool to modulate a wide range of brain disorders, has major limitations, such as poor cortical stimulation intensity and focality. We designed a novel electrode for tDCS by conjugating a needle to a conventional ring-based high-definition (HD) electrode to enhance cortical stimulation efficacy. HD-tDCS (43 µA/mm², charge density 51.6 kC/m², 20 min) was administered to male C57BL/6J mice subjected to early-stage ischemic stroke. The new HD-tDCS application, showing a higher electric potential and spatial focality based on computational modeling, demonstrated better therapeutic effects than conventional HD-tDCS in alleviating motor and cognitive deficits, with a decrease in infarct volume and inflammatory response. We assessed different electrode configurations in the new HD electrode; the configurations variously showed potent therapeutic effects, ameliorating neuronal death in the peri-infarct region via N-methyl-D-aspartate-dependent sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 signaling and related inflammatory factors, further alleviating motor and cognitive deficits in stroke. This new HD-tDCS application showed better therapeutic effects than those with conventional HD-tDCS in early-stage stroke via the amelioration of neuronal death in the penumbra.
* Reference
- Authors (Department of Korean Medical Science, Pusan National University)
· First author: Da Hee Jung
· Corresponding authors: Prof. Byung Tae Choi, Prof. Hwa Kyoung Shin
- Title of original paper: Therapeutic effects of a novel electrode for transcranial direct current stimulation in ischemic stroke mice
- Journal: Theranostics
- DOI: 10.7150/thno.90779.