Novel mechanisms of DC and kilohertz electrical stimulation
type: CreativeWork
description: Transcranial electrical stimulation is a promising technique where a weak electrical current is applied to the scalp with the goal of modulating brain activity. Understanding the cellular mechanism of direct current (DC) and kilohertz (kHz) electrical stimulation is of broad interest in neuromodulation. More specifically, there is a large mismatch between enthusiasm for clinical applications of the method and understanding of DC and kHz novel mechanisms of action. This dissertation is centered around two main fundamental aims: 1) systematic study of the acute and long-term effects of kilohertz electrical stimulation and amplitude-modulated waveform with kHz carrier frequency using a well-established animal model, hippocampal brain slice, 2) study the effect of tDCS on water exchange rate across the blood-brain barrier using an advanced MRI imaging technique in a healthy population to investigate effect of tDCS stimulation on neurovascular units. The neuronal membrane has a well-established low pass filtering characteristic. This feature attenuates the sensitivity of the nervous system to any waveforms with high-frequency components. On the contrary, kilohertz stimulation has recently revolutionized spinal cord stimulation and even generated promising results in transcranial electrical stimulation. Investigating the effect of low kilohertz stimulation for neuromodulation is of huge interest. In chapters 2 and 3, several experimental designs are used to systematically investigate the frequency and dose-response of neuronal activity to unmodulated and amplitude modulated waveforms in low kilohertz range. The results support the theory of membrane attenuation of high-frequency stimulation. This dissertation provides the first direct in vitro evidence on acute effects of kilohertz electrical stimulation on modulating gamma oscillation using both unmodulated and Amplitude-modulated waveforms. While supported by membrane characteristics of neurons, we uncovered that using …
abstract: Transcranial electrical stimulation is a promising technique where a weak electrical current is applied to the scalp with the goal of modulating brain activity. Understanding the cellular mechanism of direct current (DC) and kilohertz (kHz) electrical stimulation is of broad interest in neuromodulation. More specifically, there is a large mismatch between enthusiasm for clinical applications of the method and understanding of DC and kHz novel mechanisms of action. This dissertation is centered around two main fundamental aims: 1) systematic study of the acute and long-term effects of kilohertz electrical stimulation and amplitude-modulated waveform with kHz carrier frequency using a well-established animal model, hippocampal brain slice, 2) study the effect of tDCS on water exchange rate across the blood-brain barrier using an advanced MRI imaging technique in a healthy population to investigate effect of tDCS stimulation on neurovascular units. The neuronal membrane has a well-established low pass filtering characteristic. This feature attenuates the sensitivity of the nervous system to any waveforms with high-frequency components. On the contrary, kilohertz stimulation has recently revolutionized spinal cord stimulation and even generated promising results in transcranial electrical stimulation. Investigating the effect of low kilohertz stimulation for neuromodulation is of huge interest. In chapters 2 and 3, several experimental designs are used to systematically investigate the frequency and dose-response of neuronal activity to unmodulated and amplitude modulated waveforms in low kilohertz range. The results support the theory of membrane attenuation of high-frequency stimulation. This dissertation provides the first direct in vitro evidence on acute effects of kilohertz electrical stimulation on modulating gamma oscillation using both unmodulated and Amplitude-modulated waveforms. While supported by membrane characteristics of neurons, we uncovered that using …
author: Esmaeilpour, Zeinab
keywords: Brain stimulation, kilohertz stimulation, Amplitude modulated stimulation, Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering
date published: 2022-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:57:59Z
provider: City University of New York - City College
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: City University of New York - City College