Transcranial direct current stimulation enhances recovery from motor deficits following hypoxia-ischemia in neonatal rats

Abstract

Prenatal cerebrovascular stroke can cause permanent damage to the brain followed by deficits in neuro-muscular functioning. We hypothesize that recovery can be enhanced by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) through changes in cortical plasticity. Unilateral hypoxia-ischemia (HI) was produced in rats on postnatal day 7 (P7). At P21, anodal tDCS was given to HI pups for 7 days. tDCS treated HI pups showed improved weight, grip strength, gait, motor function, and concentrations of brain-derived neurotropic factor cortex ratios compared to non-treated HI animal controls. These findings support tDCS following HI as an effective therapeutic for neonatal stroke.

Safety of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Neurorehabilitation

“…Systematic research on safety related to children or infants is difficult to find in animal studies. Anderson et al [ 20 ] in 2017 used a hypoxia-ischemia model in 7-day-old rats and conducted tDCS on the 14th day after damage (in 21-day-old rats). Muscle strength and physical capacity improved in the tDCS group compared to the comparison group; however, their study did not review safety specifically.…”