ArticleBrain stimulation
Trigeminal nerve direct current stimulation causes sustained increase in neural activity in the rat hippocampus.
Article in Brain stimulation. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Trigeminal nerve stimulation as a neuromodulatory approach for disorders of consciousness.Neural regeneration research · 2026Article
- Chronic ocular pain is associated with smaller selective hippocampal subfield in highly symptomatic patients.The journal of pain · 2026Article
- Hippocampal rhythm modulation via frequency-tuned trigeminal nerve stimulation.Translational psychiatry · 2026Article
- External trigeminal nerve stimulation for neuropsychiatric disorders: mechanisms, efficacy, and future directions.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Review
- Is non-invasive neuromodulation a viable technique to improve neuroplasticity in individuals with acquired brain injury? A review.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2024Review
- tDCS cranial nerve Co-stimulation: Unveiling brainstem pathways involved in trigeminal nerve direct current stimulation in rats.Brain stimulationArticle
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4 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundTranscranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive neuromodulation method that can modulate many brain functions including learning and memory. Recent evidence suggests that tDCS memory effects may be caused by co-stimulation of scalp nerves such as the trigeminal nerve (TN), and not the electric field in the brain. The TN gives input to brainstem nuclei, including the locus coeruleus that controls noradrenaline release across brain regions, including hippocampus. However, the effects of TN direct current stimulation (TN-DCS) are currently not well understood. HYPOTHESIS: In this study we tested the hypothesis that stimulation of the trigeminal nerve with direct current manipulates hippocampal activity via an LC pathway.
methodsWe recorded neural activity in rat hippocampus using multichannel silicon probes. We applied 3 min of 0.25 mA or 1 mA TN-DCS, monitored hippocampal activity for up to 1 h and calculated spikes-rate and spike-field coherence metrics. Subcutaneous injections of xylocaine were used to block TN, while intraperitoneal and intracerebral injection of clonidine were used to block the LC pathway.
resultsWe found that 1 mA TN-DCS caused a significant increase in hippocampal spike-rate lasting 45 min in addition to significant changes in spike-field coherence, while 0.25 mA TN-DCS did not. TN blockage prevented spike-rate increases, confirming effects were not caused by the electric field in the brain. When 1 mA TN-DCS was delivered during clonidine blockage no increase in spike-rate was observed, suggesting an important role for the LC-noradrenergic pathway.
conclusionThese results support our hypothesis and provide a neural basis to understand the tDCS TN co-stimulation mechanism. TN-DCS emerges as an important tool to potentially modulate learning and memory.
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