Key Advances in Brain Stimulation

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 5485

Special Issue Editors

Brain Investigation & Neuromodulation Lab (Si-BIN Lab) at the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, University of Siena, 53100 Siena, Italy
Interests: neuromodulation; parkinson’s disease; movement disorders; noninvasive brain stimulation techniques; neurophysiology; transcranial magnetic stimulation; eeg; cognitive neuroscience; robotic devices
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
Interests: cognitive neuroscience; neuropsychopharmacology; non-invasive brain stimulation; neuroimaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Biomedical Science and Morphological and Functional Images, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
Interests: movement disorders; neuromodulation; neuroimaging

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Brain stimulation is one of the most rapidly expanding fields of research in contemporary neuroscience. This Special Issue covers all topics related to experimental findings aiming to better understand the mechanisms of action of the different neuromodulatory techniques, either invasive (e.g., deep brain or epidural stimulation) or non-invasive, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), and focused ultrasound stimulation.

Indeed, despite the increasing use of these techniques in research and clinical practice for the treatment of many neurological and psychiatric disorders, as well as for rehabilitative approaches, basic mechanisms at molecular, synaptic, and cellular (either neurons or glia) levels have yet to be fully defined. Moreover, recent evidence suggests that these neuromodulatory techniques may open new ways of interaction with brain functionality that extend beyond the mere “electrical” effects or those controlling synaptic plasticity: these include, but are not limited to, possible influence on brain perfusion, neurotransmitter release, and interaction with membrane proteins, and even with the perineural matrix. The goal of the Special Issue is therefore to offer an updated overview of current research in this field and to delineate possible future directions of research in the mid and long term.

Prof. Dr. Simone Rossi
Prof. Dr. Michael Nitsche
Dr. Angelo Quartarone
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • TMS
  • tDCS
  • tACS
  • tRNS
  • DBS
  • neuromodulation

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2600 KiB  
Article
Early Application of Ipsilateral Cathodal-tDCS in a Mouse Model of Brain Ischemia Results in Functional Improvement and Perilesional Microglia Modulation
by Laura Cherchi, Daniela Anni, Mario Buffelli and Marco Cambiaghi
Biomolecules 2022, 12(4), 588; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12040588 - 17 Apr 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2380
Abstract
Early stroke therapeutic approaches rely on limited options, further characterized by a narrow therapeutic time window. In this context, the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the acute phases after brain ischemia is emerging as a promising non-invasive tool. Despite the [...] Read more.
Early stroke therapeutic approaches rely on limited options, further characterized by a narrow therapeutic time window. In this context, the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the acute phases after brain ischemia is emerging as a promising non-invasive tool. Despite the wide clinical application of tDCS, the cellular mechanisms underlying its positive effects are still poorly understood. Here, we explored the effects of cathodal tDCS (C-tDCS) 6 h after focal forelimb M1 ischemia in Cx3CR1GFP/+ mice. C-tDCS improved motor functionality of the affected forelimb, as assessed by the cylinder and foot-fault tests at 48 h, though not changing the ischemic volume. In parallel, histological analysis showed that motor recovery is associated with decreased microglial cell density in the area surrounding the ischemic core, while astrocytes were not affected. Deeper analysis of microglia morphology within the perilesional area revealed a shift toward a more ramified healthier state, with increased processes’ complexity and a less phagocytic anti-inflammatory activity. Taken together, our findings suggest a positive role for early C-tDCS after ischemia, which is able to modulate microglia phenotype and morphology in parallel to motor recovery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Key Advances in Brain Stimulation)
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15 pages, 1675 KiB  
Article
Dynamic DNA Methylation Changes in the COMT Gene Promoter Region in Response to Mental Stress and Its Modulation by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
by Ariane Wiegand, Arne Blickle, Christof Brückmann, Simone Weller, Vanessa Nieratschker and Christian Plewnia
Biomolecules 2021, 11(11), 1726; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom11111726 - 19 Nov 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1984
Abstract
Changes in epigenetic modifications present a mechanism how environmental factors, such as the experience of stress, can alter gene regulation. While stress-related disorders have consistently been associated with differential DNA methylation, little is known about the time scale in which these alterations emerge. [...] Read more.
Changes in epigenetic modifications present a mechanism how environmental factors, such as the experience of stress, can alter gene regulation. While stress-related disorders have consistently been associated with differential DNA methylation, little is known about the time scale in which these alterations emerge. We investigated dynamic DNA methylation changes in whole blood of 42 healthy male individuals in response to a stressful cognitive task, its association with concentration changes in cortisol, and its modulation by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We observed a continuous increase in COMT promotor DNA methylation which correlated with higher saliva cortisol levels and was still detectable one week later. However, this lasting effect was suppressed by concurrent activity-enhancing anodal tDCS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Our findings support the significance of gene-specific DNA methylation in whole blood as potential biomarkers for stress-related effects. Moreover, they suggest alternative molecular mechanisms possibly involved in lasting behavioral effects of tDCS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Key Advances in Brain Stimulation)
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