Targeting neuroplasticity in patients with neurodegenerative diseases using brain stimulation techniques
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(2020) 9:44
REVIEW
Open Access
Targeting neuroplasticity in patients with neurodegenerative diseases using brain stimulation techniques Ti-Fei Yuan1,2†, Wei-Guang Li3†, Chencheng Zhang4†, Hongjiang Wei5, Suya Sun6, Nan-Jie Xu3, Jun Liu6* and Tian-Le Xu2*
Abstract Deficits in synaptic transmission and plasticity are thought to contribute to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Several brain stimulation techniques are currently available to assess or modulate human neuroplasticity, which could offer clinically useful interventions as well as quantitative diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. In this review, we discuss several brain stimulation techniques, with a special emphasis on transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation (DBS), and review the results of clinical studies that applied these techniques to examine or modulate impaired neuroplasticity at the local and network levels in patients with AD or PD. The impaired neuroplasticity can be detected in patients at the earlier and later stages of both neurodegenerative diseases. However, current brain stimulation techniques, with a notable exception of DBS for PD treatment, cannot serve as adequate clinical tools to assist in the diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis of individual patients with AD or PD. Targeting the impaired neuroplasticity with improved brain stimulation techniques could offer a powerful novel approach for the treatment of AD and PD. Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Synapse, Neurotransmitter, Synaptic plasticity, Brain stimulation, Deep brain stimulation, Transcranial magnetic stimulation
Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are common neurodegenerative disorders characterized by a progressive decline in cognitive and motor functions, respectively. Both disorders are associated with neuronal loss in various brain regions, particularly the hippocampus associated with memory impairment in AD [1] and the substantia nigra pars compacta associated with motor dysfunction in PD [2]. Impaired synaptic plasticity in affected * Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] † Ti-Fei Yuan, Wei-Guang Li and Chencheng Zhang contributed equally to this work. 6 Department of Neurology and Institute of Neurology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China 2 Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu 226001, China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
brain structures and networks is thought to represent a critical pathological mechanism underlying the progressive cognitive and motor deficits seen in these neurodegenerative disorders [3, 4]. Synaptic plasticity involves a complex series of presynaptic and postsynaptic biochemical events that are triggered by external or internal stimuli and may induce short- or long-standing changes in the strength of synaptic transmission, thereby modifying brain structure and function, and
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