Ionic Direct Current Enables Millimeter- and Millisecond-Scale Cortical Gain Control in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Precise, reversible modulation of cortical gain at mesoscale resolution remains a major challenge for neuroscience. Here, we introduce ionic direct current (iDC) delivered through non-penetrating electrolyte-filled microcatheters on the cortical surface as a method for targeted neuromodulation at millimeter spatial scales and millisecond onset/offset. In rat primary somatosensory cortex (S1HL), laminar recordings under urethane revealed that cathodic iDC attenuated and anodic iDC amplified both spontaneous delta oscillations and sensory-evoked responses, without causing time-locked spiking or state disruption. Computational modeling reproduced these effects and implicated dendritic summation at the axon initial segment as the mechanism for bidirectional gain control. In awake animals, iDC

SUBMITTER: Wang R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12262192 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature