Direct Current Stimulation Disrupts Endothelial Glycocalyx and Tight Junctions of the Blood-Brain Barrier in vitro.

ABSTRACT: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive physical therapy to treat many psychiatric disorders and to enhance memory and cognition in healthy individuals. Our recent studies showed that tDCS with the proper dosage and duration can transiently enhance the permeability (P) of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in rat brain to various sized solutes. Based on the in vivo permeability data, a transport model for the paracellular pathway of the BBB also predicted that tDCS can transiently disrupt the endothelial glycocalyx (EG) and the tight junction between endothelial cells. To confirm these predictions and to investigate the structural mechanisms by which tDCS modulates P of the BBB, we directly quantified the EG and tight junctions of in vitro BBB models after

SUBMITTER: Xia Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8505730 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature