TY  - JOUR
AU  - Braun, Ramona
AU  - Klein, Rebecca
AU  - Walter, Helene Luise
AU  - Ohren, Maurice
AU  - Freudenmacher, Lars
AU  - Getachew, Kaleab
AU  - Ladwig, Anne
AU  - Luelling, Joachim
AU  - Neumaier, Bernd
AU  - Endepols, Heike
AU  - Graf, Rudolf
AU  - Hoehn, Mathias
AU  - Fink, Gereon Rudolf
AU  - Schroeter, Michael
AU  - Rueger, Maria Adele
TI  - Transcranial direct current stimulation accelerates recovery of function, induces neurogenesis and recruits oligodendrocyte precursors in a rat model of stroke
JO  - Experimental neurology
VL  - 279
SN  - 0014-4886
CY  - Amsterdam [u.a.]
PB  - Elsevier
M1  - FZJ-2016-01876
SP  - 127 - 136
PY  - 2016
AB  - BackgroundClinical data suggest that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be used to facilitate rehabilitation after stroke. However, data are inconsistent and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying tDCS remain poorly explored, impeding its implementation into clinical routine. In the healthy rat brain, tDCS affects neural stem cells (NSC) and microglia. We here investigated whether tDCS applied after stroke also beneficially affects these cells, which are known to be involved in regeneration and repair.MethodsFocal cerebral ischemia was induced in rats by transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Twenty-eight animals with comparable infarcts, as judged by magnetic resonance imaging, were randomized to receive a multi-session paradigm of either cathodal, anodal, or sham tDCS. Behaviorally, recovery of motor function was assessed by Catwalk. Proliferation in the NSC niches was monitored by Positron-Emission-Tomography (PET) employing the radiotracer 3′-deoxy-3′-[18F]fluoro-l-thymidine ([18F]FLT). Microglia activation was depicted with [11C]PK11195-PET. In addition, immunohistochemical analyses were used to quantify neuroblasts, oligodendrocyte precursors, and activation and polarization of microglia.ResultsAnodal and cathodal tDCS both accelerated functional recovery, though affecting different aspects of motor function. Likewise, tDCS induced neurogenesis independently of polarity, while only cathodal tDCS recruited oligodendrocyte precursors towards the lesion. Moreover, cathodal stimulation preferably supported M1-polarization of microglia.ConclusionsTDCS acts through multifaceted mechanisms that far exceed its primary neurophysiological effects, encompassing proliferation and migration of stem cells, their neuronal differentiation, and modulation of microglia responses.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000374612900011
C6  - pmid:26923911
DO  - DOI:10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.02.018
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/283561
ER  -