TY - JOUR
T1 - Calcium imaging reveals glial involvement in transcranial direct current stimulation-induced plasticity in mouse brain
AU - Monai, Hiromu
AU - Ohkura, Masamichi
AU - Tanaka, Mika
AU - Oe, Yuki
AU - Konno, Ayumu
AU - Hirai, Hirokazu
AU - Mikoshiba, Katsuhiko
AU - Itohara, Shigeyoshi
AU - Nakai, Junichi
AU - Iwai, Youichi
AU - Hirase, Hajime
PY - 2016/3/22
Y1 - 2016/3/22
N2 - Transcranical direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a treatment known to ameliorate various neurological conditions and enhance memory and cognition in humans. tDCS has gained traction for its potential therapeutic value; however, little is known about its mechanism of action. Using a transgenic mouse expressing G-CaMP7 in astrocytes and a subpopulation of excitatory neurons, we find that tDCS induces large-amplitude astrocytic Ca2+ surges across the entire cortex with no obvious changes in the local field potential. Moreover, sensory evoked cortical responses are enhanced after tDCS. These enhancements are dependent on the alpha-1 adrenergic receptor and are not observed in IP3R2 (inositol trisphosphate receptor type 2) knockout mice, in which astrocytic Ca2+ surges are absent. Together, we propose that tDCS changes the metaplasticity of the cortex through astrocytic Ca2+/IP3 signalling.
AB - Transcranical direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a treatment known to ameliorate various neurological conditions and enhance memory and cognition in humans. tDCS has gained traction for its potential therapeutic value; however, little is known about its mechanism of action. Using a transgenic mouse expressing G-CaMP7 in astrocytes and a subpopulation of excitatory neurons, we find that tDCS induces large-amplitude astrocytic Ca2+ surges across the entire cortex with no obvious changes in the local field potential. Moreover, sensory evoked cortical responses are enhanced after tDCS. These enhancements are dependent on the alpha-1 adrenergic receptor and are not observed in IP3R2 (inositol trisphosphate receptor type 2) knockout mice, in which astrocytic Ca2+ surges are absent. Together, we propose that tDCS changes the metaplasticity of the cortex through astrocytic Ca2+/IP3 signalling.
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U2 - 10.1038/ncomms11100
DO - 10.1038/ncomms11100
M3 - Article
C2 - 27000523
AN - SCOPUS:84961575474
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 7
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
M1 - 11100
ER -