title: Repeated anodal transcranial direct current stimulation induces neural plasticity-associated gene expression in the rat cortex and hippocampus.
abstract: Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (A-tDCS) induces a long-lasting increase in cortical excitability that can increase gene transcription in the brain.
  
  
  
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of genes related to activity-dependent neuronal plasticity in the sensorimotor cortex and hippocampus of young Sprague-Dawley rats following A-tDCS.
  
  
  
  We applied A-tDCS over the right sensorimotor cortex epicranially with a circular electrode (3 mm diameter) at 250 μA for 20 min per day for 7 consecutive days. Levels of mRNA for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), synapsin I, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc), and c-Fos were analyzed using SYBR Green quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
  
  
  
  We found that 7 days of unilateral A-tDCS resulted in significant increases in transcription of all plasticity-related genes tested in the ipsilateral cortex. Daily A-tDCS also resulted in a significant increase in c-Fos mRNA in the ipsilateral hippocampus.
  
  
  
  These results indicate that altered expression of plasticity-associated genes in the cortex and hippocampus is a molecular substrate of A-tDCS-induced neural plasticity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Wonkwang University College of Medicine, Iksan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Min Sun
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Wonkwang University College of Medicine, Iksan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Ho
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Wonkwang University College of Medicine, Iksan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Who
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Medical Center, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Paulus
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Medical Center, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany.|Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.|Department of Neurology, BG University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nitsche
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Center for Prevention and Rehabilitation, Heart Vascular Stroke Institute, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yun-Hee
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jin A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Research Institute for Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, South Korea.
authors.forename: Yong-Il
authors.initials: YI
authors.lastname: Shin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004566:Electrodes; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology*; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016704:Synapsins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016704:Synapsins; C092069:activity regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein; D050882:CREB-Binding Protein; D054732:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2
keywords: Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation; immediate-early genes; somatosensory cortex; synaptic plasticity-related genes