Direct current stimulation (DCS) modulates gene expression related to human diseases in the marine chordate Botryllus...

Direct current stimulation (DCS) -i.e., the application of a static electric field to the brain through surface scalp electrodes- emerged as a novel therapy for neuropsychiatric disorders. In this study, DCS-induced changes in gene expression were assessed on Botryllus schlosseri, a ubiquitous simple colonial chordate living in temperate seas and sharing genetic remarkable similarities with mammals.

Colonies underwent either sham or real DCS stimulation. Behavioral assessments, including the Siphon Stimulation Test and heart-rate measurements, were conducted before and at three intervals post-stimulation (3, 24, and 48 h). Gene expression was analyzed with sequencing reads via Trimmomatic®.

Analysis of heart rate frequency revealed post-treatment differences between the groups immediately after stimulation (p = 0.001), with the effect decreasing over time. Real DCS differentially expressed 191 genes at three h post-DCS, 104 at 24 h, and 529 at 48 h.

Our study introduces a novel pre-clinical model for DCS application demonstrating for the first in vivo time an after-effect on gene expression related to inflammation, human development, and neurodegeneration. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper addressing DCS effects on gene expression in a living animal model.