Neuromodulation with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Contributes to Motor Function Recovery Via Microglia in Spinal Cord Injury

Overview

Journal Sci Rep

Specialty Science

Date 2024 Aug 4

PMID 39098975

Authors

Ryotaro Oishi

Ikuko Takeda

Yukihito Ode

Yuya Okada

Daisuke Kato

Hiroaki Nakashima

Shiro Imagama

Hiroaki Wake

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage or trauma to the spinal cord, which often results in loss of function, sensation, or mobility below the injury site. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive and affordable brain stimulation technique used to modulate neuronal circuits, which changes the morphology and activity of microglia in the cerebral cortex. However, whether similar morphological changes can be observed in the spinal cord remains unclear. Therefore, we evaluated neuronal population activity in layer 5 (L5) of M1 following SCI and investigated whether changes in the activities of L5 neurons affect microglia-axon interactions using C57BL/6J mice. We discovered that L5 of the primary motor cortex (corticospinal neurons) exhibited reduced synchronized activity after SCI that correlates with microglial morphology, which was recovered using tDCS. This indicates that tDCS promotes changes in the morphological properties and recovery of microglia after SCI. Combining immunotherapy with tDCS may be effective in treating SCI.

Citing Articles

The Role of Neuroinflammation in Shaping Neuroplasticity and Recovery Outcomes Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review.

Calderone A, Latella D, Cardile D, Gangemi A, Corallo F, Rifici C Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(21).

PMID: 39519259 PMC: 11546226. DOI: 10.3390/ijms252111708.

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