Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T10:16:30.726Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Gender-specific modulation of short-term neuroplasticity in the visual cortex induced by transcranial direct current stimulation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 February 2008

LEILA CHAIEB ,
ANDREA ANTAL  and
WALTER PAULUS
LEILA CHAIEB
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
ANDREA ANTAL
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
WALTER PAULUS
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Georg-August University, Göttingen, Germany
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive method of modulating levels of cortical excitability. In this study, data gathered over a number of previously conducted experiments before and after tDCS, has been re-analyzed to investigate correlations between sex differences with respect to neuroplastic effects. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs), phosphene thresholds (PTs), and contrast sensitivity measurements (CSs) are used as indicators of the excitability of the primary visual cortex. The data revealed that cathodally induced excitability effects 10 min post stimulation with tDCS, showed no significant difference between genders. However, stimulation in the anodal direction revealed sex-specific effects: in women, anodal stimulation heightened cortical excitability significantly when compared to the age-matched male subject group. There was no significant difference between male and female subjects immediately after stimulation. These results indicate that sex differences exist within the visual cortex of humans, and may be subject to the influences of modulatory neurotransmitters or gonadal hormones which mirror short-term neuroplastic effects.

Keywords

Visual cortexNeuroplasticitytDCSGender-effects
Type
Research Article
Information
Visual Neuroscience , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , January 2008 , pp. 77 - 81
Copyright
© 2008 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Antal, A., Kincses, T.Z., Nitsche, M.A., Bartfai, O. & Paulus, W. (2004). Excitability changes induced in the human primary visual cortex by transcranial direct current stimulation: Direct electrophysiological evidence. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 45, 702–707.Google Scholar
Antal, A., Kincses, T.Z., Nitsche, M.A. & Paulus, W. (2003). Manipulation of phosphene thresholds by transcranial direct current stimulation in man. Experimental Brain Research 150, 375–378.Google Scholar
Antal, A., Nitsche, M.A. & Paulus, W. (2001). External modulation of visual perception in humans. NeuroReport 12, 3553–3555.Google Scholar
Ardolino, G., Bossi, B., Barberi, S. & Priori, A. (2005). Non-synaptic mechanisms underlie the after-effects of cathodal transcutaneous direct current stimulation of the human brain. Journal of Physiology 568, 653–663.Google Scholar
Bindmann, L.J., Lippold, O.C.J. & Redfearn, J.W.T. (1964). The action of brief polarizing currents on the cerebral cortex of the rat (I) during current flow and (2) in the production of long-lasting after-effects. Journal of Physiology 172, 369–382.Google Scholar
Boroojerdi, B., Meister, I., Foltys, H., Sparing, R., Cohen, L. & Töpper, R. (2002). Visual and motor cortex excitability: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study. Clinical Neurophysiology 113, 1501–1504.Google Scholar
Brandes, J.L. (2006). The influence of estrogen on migraine. JAMA 295, 1824–1830.Google Scholar
Cahill, L. (2006). Why sex matters for neuroscience. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 7, 477–484.Google Scholar
Cooke, B.M. & Woolley, C.S. (2005). Gonadal hormone modulation of dendrites in the mammalian CNS. Neurobiology 64, 34–46.Google Scholar
Hausmann, M., Tegenthoff, M., Sänger, J., Janssen, F., Güntürkün, O. & Schwenkreis, P. (2006). Transcallosal inhibition across the menstrual cycle: A TMS study. Clinical Neurophysiology 117, 26–32.Google Scholar
Inghilleri, M., Conte, A., Curra, A., Frasca, V., Lorenzano, C. & Berardelli, A. (2004). Ovarian hormones and cortical excitability. An rTMS study in humans. Clinical Neurophysiology 115, 1063–1068.Google Scholar
Juraska, J.M. (1998). Neural plasticity and the development of sex differences. Annual Review of Sex Research 9, 20–38.Google Scholar
Keller, A. (1993). Intrinsic synaptic organization of the motor cortex. Cerebral Cortex 3, 430–441.Google Scholar
Kimura, D. (2002). Sex hormones influence human cognitive pattern. Neuroendocrinology Letters 23, 67–77.Google Scholar
Kuo, M., Paulus, W. & Nitsche, M.A. (2006). Sex differences in cortical neuroplasticity in humans. NeuroReport 17, 1703–1707.Google Scholar
Lang, N., Siebner, H.R., Ward, N.S., Lee, L., Nitsche, M.A., Paulus, W., Rothwell, J.C., Lemon, R. & Frackowiak, R.S. (2005). How does transcranial DC stimulation of the primary motor cortex alter regional neuronal activity in the human brain? European Journal of Neuroscience 22, 495–504.Google Scholar
Liebetanz, D., Nitsche, M.A., Tergau, F. & Paulus, W. (2002). Pharmacological approach to the mechanisms of transcranial DC-stimulation-induced after-effects of human motor cortex excitability. Brain 125, 2238–2247.Google Scholar
Lund, J.S. (2002). Specificity and non-specificity of synaptic connections within mammalian visual cortex. Journal of Neurocytology 31, 203–209.Google Scholar
Maguire, J.L., Stell, B.M, Rafizadeh, M. & Mody, I. (2005). Ovarian cycle-linked changes in GABAA receptors mediating tonic inhibition alter seizure susceptibility and anxiety. Nature Neuroscience 8, 797–804.Google Scholar
Nitsche, M.A. & Paulus, W. (2000). Excitability changes induced in the human motor cortex by weak transcranial direct current stimulation. Journal of Physiology 52, 633–639.Google Scholar
Nitsche, M.A. & Paulus, W. (2001). Sustained excitability elevations induced by transcranial DC motor cortex stimulation in humans. Neurology 57, 1899–1901.Google Scholar
Nitsche, M.A., Fricke, K., Henscke, U., Schlitterlau, A., Liebetanz, D., Lang, N., Henning, S., Tergau, F. & Paulus, W. (2003a). Pharmacological modulation of cortical excitability shifts induced by transcranial direct current stimulation in humans. Journal of Physiology 553, 293–301.Google Scholar
Nitsche, M.A., Lampe, C., Antal, A., Liebetanz, D., Lang, N., Tergau, F. & Paulus, W. (2006). Dopaminergic modulation of long-lasting direct current-induced cortical excitability changes in the human motor cortex. European Journal of Neuroscience 23, 1651–1657.Google Scholar
Nitsche, M.A., Nitsche, M.S., Klein, C.C., Tergau, F., Rothwell, J.C. & Paulus, W. (2003b). Level of action of cathodal DC polarisation induced inhibition of the human motor cortex. Clinical Neurophysiology 114, 600–604.Google Scholar
Nunez, J.L., Sodhi, J. & Juraska, J.M. (2002). Ovarian hormones after postnatal day 20 reduce neuron number in the rat primary visual cortex. Journal of Neurobiology 52, 312–321.Google Scholar
Pakkenberg, B. & Gundersen, H.J.G. (1997). Neocortical neuron number in humans: Effect of sex and age. The Journal of Comparative Neurology 384, 312–320.Google Scholar
Rudick, C.N. & Woolley, C.S. (2001). Estrogen regulates functional inhibition of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells in the adult female rat. Journal of Neuroscience 21, 6532–6543.Google Scholar
Sherman, S.M. & Spear, P.D. (1982). Organization of visual pathways in normal and visually deprived cats. Physiology Review 62, 738–855.Google Scholar
Smith, M.D., Jones, L.S. & Wilson, M.A. (2002a). Sex differences in hippocampal slice excitability: Role of testosterone. Neuroscience 109, 517–530.Google Scholar
Smith, M.J., Adams, L.F., Schmidt, P.J., Rubinow, D.R. & Wassermann, E.M. (2002b). Effects of ovarian hormones on human cortical excitability. Annals of Neurology 51, 599–603.Google Scholar
Smith, M.J., Keel, J.C., Greenberg, B.D., Adams, L.F., Schmidt, P.J., Rubinow, D.A. & Wasserman, E.M. (1999). Menstrual cycle effects on cortical excitability. Neurology 53, 2069–2072.Google Scholar