Decision letter: Therapeutic effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation in a rat model of ADHD

AbstractTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory noninvasive brain stimulation tool with potential to increase or reduce regional and remote cortical excitability. Numerous studies have shown the ability of this technique to induce neuroplasticity and to modulate cognition and behavior in adults. Clinical studies have also demonstrated the ability of tDCS to induce therapeutic effects in several central nervous system disorders. However, knowledge about its ability to modulate brain functions in children or induce clinical improvements in pediatrics is limited. The objective of this review is to describe relevant data of some recent studies that may help to understand the potential of this technique in children with specific regard to effective and safe treatment of different developmental disorders in pediatrics. Overall, the results show that standard protocols of tDCS are well tolerated by children and have promising clinical effects. Nevertheless, treatment effects seem to be partially heterogeneous, and a case of a seizure in a child with previous history of infantile spasms and diagnosed epilepsy treated with tDCS for spasticity was reported. Further research is needed to determine safety criteria for tDCS use in children and to elucidate the particular neurophysiological changes induced by this neuromodulatory technique when it is applied in the developing brain.

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A rat model for measuring the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation using fMRI

Neuroscience Letters ◽

10.1016/j.neulet.2011.01.004 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 491 (1) ◽

pp. 40-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

Yuji Takano ◽

Takashi Yokawa ◽

Asami Masuda ◽

Jun Niimi ◽

Satoshi Tanaka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Direct Current ◽

Rat Model ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Direct Current Stimulation

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Transcranial direct current stimulation accelerates recovery of function, induces neurogenesis and recruits oligodendrocyte precursors in a rat model of stroke

Experimental Neurology ◽

10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.02.018 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 279 ◽

pp. 127-136 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Ramona Braun ◽

Rebecca Klein ◽

Helene Luise Walter ◽

Maurice Ohren ◽

Lars Freudenmacher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Direct Current ◽

Rat Model ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Recovery Of Function ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Oligodendrocyte Precursors

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Testing the therapeutic effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in semantic dementia: A double blind, sham controlled, randomized clinical trial

10.21203/rs.2.9971/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Clara Sanches ◽

Richard Levy ◽

Sarah Benisty ◽

Lisette Volpe-Gillot ◽

Marie-Odile Habert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trial ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Semantic Dementia ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Double Blind ◽

Temporal Lobes ◽

Time Points ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Cathodal Tdcs

Abstract Background Semantic dementia is a neurodegenerative disease that primarily affects the left anterior temporal lobe, resulting in a gradual loss of conceptual knowledge. There is currently no validated treatment. Transcranial stimulation has provided evidence for long-lasting language effects presumably linked to stimulation-induced neuroplasticity in post-stroke aphasia. However, studies evaluating its effects in neurodegenerative diseases as semantic dementia are still rare and evidence from double blind prospective therapeutic trials is required. Objective The primary objective of the present clinical trial (STIM-SD) is to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a multiday transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) regime on language impairment in patients with semantic dementia. The study also explores the time course of potential tDCS-driven improvements and uses imaging biomarkers which could reflect stimulation-induced neuroplasticity. Methods Double-blind sham-controlled randomized study using tDCS applied daily during 10 days, and language/semantic and imaging assessments at 4 time-points: baseline, 3 days, 2 weeks and 4 months after the 10 stimulation sessions. Language/semantic assessments will be applied at the 4 time-points. Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission tomography (FDG-PET), resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI), T1-weighted images and white matter diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) will be applied at baseline and the two-weeks’ time-point. According to the principle of inter-hemispheric inhibition between left (language-related) and right homotopic regions we will use two stimulation modalities: left-anodal and right-cathodal tDCS over the anterior temporal lobes. Accordingly, the patient population (n=60) will be subdivided into 3 subgroups: left-anodal tDCS (n=20), right-cathodal tDCS (n=20) and sham tDCS (n=20). The stimulation duration will be sustained for 20 minutes at an intensity of 1.59 mA. It will be delivered through 25cm2 round stimulation electrodes (current density of 0.06 mA/cm2) placed over the left and right anterior temporal lobes for anodal and cathodal stimulation, respectively. A group of age, gender and education-matched healthy participants (n=20) will also be recruited and tested to provide normative values for the language/semantic tasks and imaging measures. Discussion The study aims at assessing the efficacy of tDCS for language/semantic disorders in semantic dementia. A potential treatment would be easily applicable, inexpensive, and renewable when therapeutic effects disappear due to disease progression.

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Neurobiological Mechanisms of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Psychiatric Disorders; Neurophysiological, Chemical, and Anatomical Considerations

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2021.631838 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Yuji Yamada ◽

Tomiki Sumiyoshi

Keyword(s):

Psychiatric Disorders ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Cortical Excitability ◽

Long Term Potentiation ◽

Brain Network ◽

Therapeutic Effects ◽

Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽

Processing Efficiency ◽

Direct Current Stimulation

Backgrounds: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique for the treatment of several psychiatric disorders, e.g., mood disorders and schizophrenia. Therapeutic effects of tDCS are suggested to be produced by bi-directional changes in cortical activities, i.e., increased/decreased cortical excitability via anodal/cathodal stimulation. Although tDCS provides a promising approach for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, its neurobiological mechanisms remain to be explored.Objectives: To review recent findings from neurophysiological, chemical, and brain-network studies, and consider how tDCS ameliorates psychiatric conditions.Findings: Enhancement of excitatory synaptic transmissions through anodal tDCS stimulation is likely to facilitate glutamate transmission and suppress gamma-aminobutyric acid transmission in the cortex. On the other hand, it positively or negatively modulates the activities of dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine transmissions in the central nervous system. These neural events by tDCS may change the balance between excitatory and inhibitory inputs. Specifically, multi-session tDCS is thought to promote/regulate information processing efficiency in the cerebral cortical circuit, which induces long-term potentiation (LTP) by synthesizing various proteins.Conclusions: This review will help understand putative mechanisms underlying the clinical benefits of tDCS from the perspective of neurotransmitters, network dynamics, intracellular events, and related modalities of the brain function.

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