TY - JOUR
T1 - Activation response and functional connectivity change in rat cortex after bilateral transcranial direct current stimulation—An exploratory study
AU - Boonzaier, Julia
AU - Straathof, Milou
AU - Ardesch, Dirk Jan
AU - van der Toorn, Annette
AU - van Vliet, Gerard
AU - van Heijningen, Caroline L.
AU - Otte, Willem M.
AU - Dijkhuizen, Rick M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Journal of Neuroscience Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique implicated as a promising adjunct therapy to improve motor function through the neuromodulation of brain networks. Particularly bilateral tDCS, which affects both hemispheres, may yield stronger effects on motor learning than unilateral stimulation. Therefore, the aim of this exploratory study was to develop an experimental model for simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and bilateral tDCS in rats, to measure instant and resultant effects of tDCS on network activity and connectivity. Naïve, male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a tDCS (n = 7) and sham stimulation group (n = 6). Functional MRI data were collected during concurrent bilateral tDCS over the sensorimotor cortex, while resting-state functional MRI and perfusion MRI were acquired directly before and after stimulation. Bilateral tDCS induced a hemodynamic activation response, reflected by a bilateral increase in blood oxygenation level-dependent signal in different cortical areas, including the sensorimotor regions. Resting-state functional connectivity within the cortical sensorimotor network decreased after a first stimulation session but increased after a second session, suggesting an interaction between multiple tDCS sessions. Perfusion MRI revealed no significant changes in cerebral blood flow after tDCS. Our exploratory study demonstrates successful application of an MRI-compatible bilateral tDCS setup in an animal model. Our results indicate that bilateral tDCS can locally modulate neuronal activity and connectivity, which may underlie its therapeutic potential.
AB - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique implicated as a promising adjunct therapy to improve motor function through the neuromodulation of brain networks. Particularly bilateral tDCS, which affects both hemispheres, may yield stronger effects on motor learning than unilateral stimulation. Therefore, the aim of this exploratory study was to develop an experimental model for simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and bilateral tDCS in rats, to measure instant and resultant effects of tDCS on network activity and connectivity. Naïve, male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a tDCS (n = 7) and sham stimulation group (n = 6). Functional MRI data were collected during concurrent bilateral tDCS over the sensorimotor cortex, while resting-state functional MRI and perfusion MRI were acquired directly before and after stimulation. Bilateral tDCS induced a hemodynamic activation response, reflected by a bilateral increase in blood oxygenation level-dependent signal in different cortical areas, including the sensorimotor regions. Resting-state functional connectivity within the cortical sensorimotor network decreased after a first stimulation session but increased after a second session, suggesting an interaction between multiple tDCS sessions. Perfusion MRI revealed no significant changes in cerebral blood flow after tDCS. Our exploratory study demonstrates successful application of an MRI-compatible bilateral tDCS setup in an animal model. Our results indicate that bilateral tDCS can locally modulate neuronal activity and connectivity, which may underlie its therapeutic potential.
KW - animal
KW - magnetic resonance imaging
KW - models
KW - resting-state functional connectivity
KW - transcranial direct current stimulation
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U2 - 10.1002/jnr.24793
DO - 10.1002/jnr.24793
M3 - Article
C2 - 33511664
AN - SCOPUS:85099817135
SN - 0360-4012
VL - 99
SP - 1377
EP - 1389
JO - Journal of Neuroscience Research
JF - Journal of Neuroscience Research
IS - 5
ER -