Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine - 4, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany.
Division of Clinical Cognitive Sciences, Department of Neurology, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2021 Jun 1;42(8):2642-2671. doi: 10.1002/hbm.25388. Epub 2021 Feb 26.
A large body of molecular and neurophysiological evidence connects synaptic plasticity to specific functions and energy metabolism in particular areas of the brain. Furthermore, altered plasticity and energy regulation has been associated with a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. A favourable approach enabling the modulation of neuronal excitability and energy in humans is to stimulate the brain using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and then to observe the effect on neurometabolites using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). In this way, a well-defined modulation of brain energy and excitability can be achieved using a dedicated tDCS protocol to a predetermined brain region. This systematic review was guided by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis and summarises recent literature studying the effect of tDCS on neurometabolites in the human brain as measured by proton or phosphorus MRS. Limitations and recommendations are discussed for future research. The findings of this review provide clear evidence for the potential of using tDCS and MRS to examine and understand the effect of neurometabolites in the in vivo human brain.
大量的分子和神经生理学证据将突触可塑性与大脑特定区域的特定功能和能量代谢联系起来。此外，可塑性和能量调节的改变与许多神经精神疾病有关。一种可行的方法是使用经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）来调节人类神经元的兴奋性和能量，然后使用磁共振波谱（MRS）观察对神经代谢物的影响。通过这种方式，可以使用专门的 tDCS 方案对预定的脑区进行明确的脑能量和兴奋性调节。本系统评价遵循系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目，并总结了最近研究 tDCS 对质子或磷 MRS 测量的人类大脑中神经代谢物影响的文献。讨论了未来研究的局限性和建议。本综述的结果为使用 tDCS 和 MRS 来检查和理解活体人类大脑中神经代谢物的影响提供了明确的证据。
