Cellular effects of acute direct current stimulation: somatic and synaptic terminal effects

Key points The diversity of cellular targets of direct current stimulation (DCS), including somas, dendrites and axon terminals, determine the modulation of synaptic efficacy. Axon terminals of cortical pyramidal neurons are two–three times more susceptible to polarization than somas. DCS in humans results in current flow dominantly parallel to the cortical surface, which in animal models of cortical stimulation results in synaptic pathway‐specific modulation of neuronal excitability. These results suggest that somatic polarization together with axon terminal polarization may be important for synaptic pathway‐specific modulation of DCS, which underlies modulation of neuronal excitability during transcranial…

• NI
  National Institutes of Health
• UA
  U.S. Air Force
• NI
  National Institute of General Medical Sciences
• AF
  Air Force Research Laboratory