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Direct Current Stimulation of Endothelial Monolayers Induces a Transient and Reversible Increase in Transport Due to the Electroosmotic Effect
Author(s) -
Cancel Limary Melissa,
Arias Katherin,
Bikson Marom,
Tarbell John
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.834.2
Subject(s) - transcranial direct current stimulation , stimulation , blood–brain barrier , monolayer , chemistry , biophysics , current (fluid) , flux (metallurgy) , electric field , neuroscience , biochemistry , psychology , biology , central nervous system , organic chemistry , electrical engineering , engineering , physics , quantum mechanics
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is currently investigated for treatment of neurological disorders, as an aid in rehabilitation, and to facilitate cognitive performance in healthy individuals. Validating the efficacy of tDCS and optimizing therapy dose requires an understanding of the underlying mechanisms. We present, for the first time, a study of the potential impact of tDCS on endothelial cells (EC) layers that form the blood‐brain‐barrier (BBB). To begin to address the possible role of the BBB in tDCS efficacy and safety, we applied 10 minutes of direct current stimulation (1mA) to monolayers of cultured endothelial cells and characterized their transport barrier response by measuring fluid and solute flux across the monolayers. We found that an applied electric field induced fluid movement across the EC layer that persisted only as long as the current was applied. Solute flux increased for 70kDa Dextran, whose transport is convectively dominated, but not for the small molecule TAMRA, which easily diffuses across the monolayer. In addition we found that the direction of transport could be reversed by changing the polarity of the electric field – a hallmark of the electroosmotic effect. A mathematical model based on a two pore description of the endothelial transport barrier describes the experimental data accurately and predicts enhanced significance of this mechanism in tighter (less permeable) monolayers. This study shows that tDCS relevant currents transiently alter the transport function of the BBB suggesting a new mechanism that may play a role in the efficacy of tDCS.