Cathodal Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation Selectively Decreases Impulsivity After Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

Overview

Journal J Neurotrauma

Publisher Mary Ann Liebert

Specialties Emergency Medicine
Neurology

Date 2019 May 11

PMID 31072218

Citations 6

Authors

Kris M Martens

Kristen M Pechacek

Cassandra G Modrak

Virginia J Milleson

Binxing Zhu

Cole Vonder Haar

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often results in chronic psychiatric-like symptoms. In a condition with few therapeutic options, neuromodulation has emerged as a promising potential treatment avenue for these individuals. The goal of the current study was to determine if transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) could treat deficits of impulsivity and attention in rats. This could then be used as a model to investigate treatment parameters and the mechanism of action underlying therapeutic effects. Rats were trained on a task to measure attention and motor impulsivity (five-choice serial reaction time task), then given a frontal, controlled cortical impact injury. After rats recovered to a new baseline, tDCS (cathodal, 10 min, 800 μA) was delivered daily prior to testing in a counterbalanced, cross-over design. Treatment with tDCS selectively reduced impulsivity in the TBI group, and the greatest recovery occurred in the rats with the largest deficits. With these data, we have established a rat model for studying the effects of tDCS on psychiatric-like dysfunction. More research is needed to determine the mechanism of action by which tDCS-related gains occur.

Citing Articles

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Electrical stimulation methods and protocols for the treatment of traumatic brain injury: a critical review of preclinical research.

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Intervention Effect of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation on Cognitive Functions among People with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

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Unilateral parietal brain injury increases risk-taking on a rat gambling task.

Ozga-Hess J, Whirtley C, OHearn C, Pechacek K, Vonder Haar C Exp Neurol. 2020; 327:113217.

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