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Title: Baseline effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on glutamatergic neurotransmission and large-scale network connectivity

Journal Article · · Brain Research
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [2]
  1. The Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM (United States); The Univ. of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  2. The Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States); The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  3. The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  4. The Mind Research Network, Albuquerque, NM (United States); The Univ. of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM (United States); The Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates glutamatergic neurotransmission and can be utilized as a novel treatment intervention for a multitude of populations. However, the exact mechanism by which tDCS modulates the brain's neural architecture, from the micro to macro scales, have yet to be investigated. In this paper, using a within-subjects design, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) were performed immediately before and after the administration of anodal tDCS over right parietal cortex. Group independent component analysis (ICA) was used to decompose fMRI scans into 75 brain networks, from which 12 resting-state networks were identified that had significant voxel-wise functional connectivity to anatomical regions of interest. 1H MRS was used to obtain estimates of combined glutamate and glutamine (Glx) concentrations from bilateral intraparietal sulcus. Paired sample t-tests showed significantly increased Glx under the anodal electrode, but not in homologous regions of the contralateral hemisphere. Increases of within-network connectivity were observed within the superior parietal, inferior parietal, left frontal–parietal, salience and cerebellar intrinsic networks, and decreases in connectivity were observed in the anterior cingulate and the basal ganglia (p<0.05, FDR-corrected). Individual differences in Glx concentrations predicted network connectivity in most of these networks. Finally, the observed relationships between glutamatergic neurotransmission and network connectivity may be used to guide future tDCS protocols that aim to target and alter neuroplastic mechanisms in healthy individuals as well as those with psychiatric and neurologic disorders.

Research Organization:
Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-99ER62764; P20GM103472; R01EB005846; R01EB006841
OSTI ID:
1344389
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1233904
Journal Information:
Brain Research, Vol. 1594; ISSN 0006-8993
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 81 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 360, Issue 1457 https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2005.1634
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Virtual reality for the treatment of neuropathic pain in people with spinal cord injuries: A scoping review journal February 2019
Simultaneous tDCS-fMRI Identifies Resting State Networks Correlated with Visual Search Enhancement journal March 2016
Brain state and polarity dependent modulation of brain networks by transcranial direct current stimulation journal October 2018
Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) mechanisms and its effects on cortical excitability and connectivity journal July 2018
Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on GABA and Glx in Children: A pilot study journal January 2020
The Role of the Cerebellum in Degenerative Ataxias and Essential Tremor: Insights From Noninvasive Modulation of Cerebellar Activity journal December 2019
Individual differences in learning correlate with modulation of brain activity induced by transcranial direct current stimulation journal May 2018
tDCS modulates behavioral performance and the neural oscillatory dynamics serving visual selective attention journal October 2018
Brain state and polarity dependent modulation of brain networks by transcranial direct current stimulation journal August 2017
Neural changes associated with cerebellar tDCS studied using MR spectroscopy journal February 2018
Mindfulness-based training with transcranial direct current stimulation modulates neuronal resource allocation in working memory: A randomized pilot study with a nonequivalent control group journal July 2018
Task demands, tDCS intensity, and the COMT val158met polymorphism impact tDCS-linked working memory training gains journal October 2017
Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: Neural Correlates and the Role of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation journal November 2015
Transient Changes in Brain Metabolites after Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Spastic Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Study journal July 2017
A Transcranial Stimulation Intervention to Support Flow State Induction journal August 2019