ArticleScientific reports2016
Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation boosts synaptic plasticity and memory in mice via epigenetic regulation of Bdnf expression.
Article in Scientific reports, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 117 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
117 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 240 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interventions for post-stroke cognitive impairment: a systematic review of neuroplastic mechanisms, comparative efficacy, and multimodal approaches.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Efficacy of brain-computer interface with functional electrical stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, and conventional therapy on upper limb recovery after stroke: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Evaluating the effects of tDCS on depressive and anxiety symptoms from a transdiagnostic perspective: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Translational psychiatry · 2024Pooled it
- Preclinical Evidence for the Mechanisms of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders; A Systematic Review.Clinical EEG and neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- Memory and Cognition-Related Neuroplasticity Enhancement by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Rodents: A Systematic Review.Neural plasticity · 2020Pooled it
- Trial
- Home-Based Tele-tDCS in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Feasibility, Safety, and Preliminary Efficacy.Annals of clinical and translational neurology · 2025Trial
- Independent effects of transcranial direct current stimulation and social influence on pain.Pain · 2025Trial
- Can transcranial direct current stimulation combined with interactive computerized cognitive training boost cognition and gait performance in older adults with mild cognitive impairment? a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Randomized controlled trial of TDCS on cognition in 201 seniors with mild neurocognitive disorder.Annals of clinical and translational neurology · 2019Trial
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhances Motor Skill Learning but Not Generalization in Chronic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairTrial
- Robust enhancement of motor sequence learning with 4 mA transcranial electric stimulation.Brain stimulationTrial
- Machine learning and individual variability in electric field characteristics predict tDCS treatment response.Brain stimulationTrial
- tDCS improves early Alzheimer's disease by synaptic vesicle fusion and release.Military Medical Research · 2026Article
- Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Versus Sham Stimulation on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Clinical Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Multimodal Signatures of Brain Aging: From Descriptive Analyses to Machine Learning-Based Integration.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Effects of tDCS on Cognitive Function in MCAO/R Rats by Regulating Mitochondrial Autophagy Mediated by the PINK1/Parkin Signaling Pathway.Neurochemical research · 2026Article
- Non-invasive brain stimulation in frontotemporal dementia: syndrome-specific signals and priorities for future trials.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Review
57 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on brain functions and the underlying molecular mechanisms are yet largely unknown. Here we report that mice subjected to 20-min anodal tDCS exhibited one-week lasting increases in hippocampal LTP, learning and memory. These effects were associated with enhanced: i) acetylation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) promoter I; ii) expression of Bdnf exons I and IX; iii) Bdnf protein levels. The hippocampi of stimulated mice also exhibited enhanced CREB phosphorylation, pCREB binding to Bdnf promoter I and recruitment of CBP on the same regulatory sequence. Inhibition of acetylation and blockade of TrkB receptors hindered tDCS effects at molecular, electrophysiological and behavioral levels. Collectively, our findings suggest that anodal tDCS increases hippocampal LTP and memory via chromatin remodeling of Bdnf regulatory sequences leading to increased expression of this gene, and support the therapeutic potential of tDCS for brain diseases associated with impaired neuroplasticity.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.