Electroceutical Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study

Electroceutical Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Highlander, Morgan Michelle
Language:English
Published: Wright State University / OhioLINK 2018
Subjects:
Biomedical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Neurosciences
tsDCS
electrical stimulation
uniform electric field
ALS
SOD1
G93A
behavior
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1530099548144113
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-wright15300995481441132021-08-03T07:07:20Z Electroceutical Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study Highlander, Morgan Michelle Biomedical Engineering Electrical Engineering Neurosciences tsDCS electrical stimulation uniform electric field ALS SOD1 G93A behavior Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the death of motoneurons. Life expectancy is only 3-5 years from diagnosis and current treatments only extend survival by 2-3 months. The mechanism of motoneuron death in ALS is still largely unknown, but abnormal motoneuron excitability has been extensively documented. Because the intrinsic excitability of a motoneuron is a defining measure of its normal function, characterizing and regulating motoneuron excitability has become one of the primary aims of ALS research. Although not previously explored in ALS, other clinical applications show the ability of certain electroceutical techniques to modulate the baseline of motor excitability long-term. The aim of this thesis is to determine the plausibility of electroceutical therapy as a technique for regulating motoneuron excitability in ALS by testing its effects on the SOD1-G93A high copy mouse model. Specifically, transcutaneous spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) is applied to the lumbar spinal cord of the awake transgenic mice. tsDCS is applied for 30 minutes daily over multiple weeks, beginning at symptom onset. A sham treatment group acts as the control against two stimulation groups: anodal (dorsal-to-ventral field) and cathodal (ventral-to- dorsal field). Treatment effects are measured on weight loss rate, motor function decline, and survival. The data show that our tsDCS protocol was unable to impact disease progression in any of these measures. While this preliminary study shows a lack of promise for electroceutical therapy as an effective ALS treatment, our novel approach of applying long-lasting and noninvasive electrical stimulation on awake mice led to significant technical limitations that may have contributed to the lack of predicted effects. Alternative methods should be considered to address these technical limitations before electroceuticals are concluded ineffective in ALS. 2018-08-02 English text Wright State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1530099548144113 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1530099548144113 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic Biomedical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Neurosciences
tsDCS
electrical stimulation
uniform electric field
ALS
SOD1
G93A
behavior
spellingShingle Biomedical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Neurosciences
tsDCS
electrical stimulation
uniform electric field
ALS
SOD1
G93A
behavior
Highlander, Morgan Michelle
Electroceutical Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study
author Highlander, Morgan Michelle
author_facet Highlander, Morgan Michelle
author_sort Highlander, Morgan Michelle
title Electroceutical Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study
title_short Electroceutical Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study
title_full Electroceutical Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study
title_fullStr Electroceutical Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study
title_full_unstemmed Electroceutical Therapy in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study
title_sort electroceutical therapy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a novel preliminary study
publisher Wright State University / OhioLINK
publishDate 2018
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=wright1530099548144113
work_keys_str_mv AT highlandermorganmichelle electroceuticaltherapyinamyotrophiclateralsclerosisanovelpreliminarystudy
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