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Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation Improves Memory Function in Alzheimer's Mice by Ameliorating Abnormal
Summary
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) may improve Alzheimer's disease (AD) by targeting the hippocampus. This noninvasive method restored gamma-band activity and enhanced memory in AD mice.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Gerontology
Background:
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder impacting memory and cognitive functions.
- Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) shows promise for AD rehabilitation by synchronizing neural oscillations.
- Single-target tACS may have limited efficacy due to insufficient current in off-target brain regions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of single-target tACS on the hippocampal-prefrontal circuit in Alzheimer's disease models.
- To assess how tACS applied to the right hippocampus (rHPC) influences gamma-band activity across the hippocampal-prefrontal network.
- To evaluate the rehabilitative potential of tACS in improving memory function in Alzheimer's disease mice.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Sim4Life software for finite element method (FEM) simulations to optimize tACS parameters for precise targeting of the rHPC.
- Administered tACS to the rHPC of AD mice for 21 days.
- Recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from the rHPC, left hippocampus (lHPC), and prefrontal cortex (PFC).
- Analyzed neural activity using power spectral density (PSD), cross-frequency coupling (CFC), and Granger causality.
Main Results:
- tACS treatment led to increased Granger causality and CFC between the rHPC and PFC, suggesting enhanced functional connectivity.
- A decrease in Granger causality and CFC was observed between the lHPC and PFC.
- Mice receiving tACS demonstrated improved performance in the Y-maze test, indicating enhanced memory function.
- tACS intervention specifically modulated gamma-band activity within the targeted hippocampal-prefrontal circuit.
Conclusions:
- Single-target tACS applied to the rHPC can modulate neural activity and functional connectivity within the hippocampal-prefrontal circuit in an AD mouse model.
- tACS shows potential as a noninvasive therapeutic strategy for Alzheimer's disease by ameliorating aberrant gamma oscillations.
- This study highlights the importance of targeted stimulation in restoring neural circuit function for neurorehabilitation.
