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Lasting connectivity increase and anxiety reduction via transcranial alternating current stimulation.

ABSTRACT: Growing evidence of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) modulating intrinsic neural oscillations has spawned interest in applying tACS to treat psychiatric disorders associated with aberrant neural oscillations. The alpha rhythmic activity is known to dominate neural oscillations at the awake, restful state, while attenuated resting-state alpha activity has been implicated in anxious mood. Administering repeated alpha-frequency tACS (?-tACS; at individual peak alpha frequency; 8-12 Hz) over four consecutive days (in the experiment group, sham stimulation in the control group), we demonstrated immediate and lasting (>24 h) increases in resting-state posterior ?frontal connectivity in the alpha frequency, quantified by Granger causality. Critically, this connectivity enhancement was accompanied by sustained reductions in both anxious arousal and negative perception of sensory stimuli. Resting-state alpha power also increased, albeit only transiently, reversing to the baseline level within 24 h after tACS. Therefore, the lasting enhancement of long-range alpha connectivity due to ?-tACS differs from local alpha activity that is nonetheless conserved, highlighting the adaptability of alpha oscillatory networks. In light of increasing recognition of large-scale network dysfunctions as a transdiagnostic pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders, this enduring connectivity plasticity, along with the behavioral improvements, paves the way for tACS applications in clinical interventions of psychiatric 'oscillopathies'.

SUBMITTER: Clancy KJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6277743 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Lasting connectivity increase and anxiety reduction via transcranial alternating current stimulation.

Clancy Kevin J KJ Baisley Sarah K SK Albizu Alejandro A Kartvelishvili Nika N Ding Mingzhou M Li Wen W

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience 20181201 12

Growing evidence of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) modulating intrinsic neural oscillations has spawned interest in applying tACS to treat psychiatric disorders associated with aberrant neural oscillations. The alpha rhythmic activity is known to dominate neural oscillations at the awake, restful state, while attenuated resting-state alpha activity has been implicated in anxious mood. Administering repeated alpha-frequency tACS (α-tACS; at individual peak alpha frequency; 8- ...[more]

PMID: 30380131

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Project description:ObjectivesPersistent oscillating vertigo that occurs after entrainment to periodic motion is known as Mal de Débarquement Syndrome (MdDS). Down-modulation of this oscillating vertigo is associated with reduction in long-range resting-state functional connectivity between fronto-parieto-occipital regions. In order to determine the association between this oscillating vertigo and hypersynchrony as measured by the auditory steady-state response (ASSR), we investigated the differences in ASSR between individuals with MdDS and healthy controls as well as the change in ASSR in individuals with MdDS before and after treatment with transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS).Materials and methodsIndividuals with treatment refractory MdDS lasting at least six months received single administrations of fronto-parieto-occipital tACS in an "n-of-1" double-blind randomized design: alpha-frequency in-phase, alpha-frequency antiphase, and gamma frequency antiphase control. The treatment protocol that led to the most acute reduction in symptoms and improved balance was administered for 10-12 sessions given over three days (each session 20-min at 2-4 mA).ResultsTwenty-four individuals with MdDS participated (mean age 53.0 ± 11.8 years [range: 22-66 years, median: 57.0 years]; mean duration of illness 38.6 ± 53.4 months [range: 6-240 months, median: 18.0 months]). Individuals with MdDS had elevated ASSR compared to healthy controls at baseline (t11 = 5.95, p < 0.001). There was a significant decrease in the 40 Hz-ASSR response between responders compared to nonresponders to tACS (t-test, t15 = -2.26, p = 0.04). Both in-phase and anti-phase alpha tACS lead to symptom improvement but only antiphase alpha-tACS led to a significant decrease of 40 Hz-ASSR (t-test, t12 = -9.6, p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur findings suggest that tACS has the potential to reduce network-level hypersynchrony and pathological susceptibility to entrainment by sensory input. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first successful demonstration of desynchronization by noninvasive brain stimulation leading to reduced vertigo. Other disease states associated with pathological functional coupling of neuronal networks may similarly benefit from this novel approach.

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Lasting connectivity increase and anxiety reduction via transcranial alternating current stimulation.

Publications

Lasting connectivity increase and anxiety reduction via transcranial alternating current stimulation.

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