Therapeutic effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on loss of motor function caused by experimental mild traumatic brain injury

Purpose: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious illness that causes behavioral disorders such as locomotor activity, learning, and memory. This study aims to investigate the behavioral effects of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) treatment on locomotor activity in an experimental traumatic brain injury model and to investigate the levels of IL-1β and IL-18 in the motor cortex tissue. Materials and Methods: 30 male 3-month-old Wistar albino rats were used. The TBI model was established using the Marmarou method. 2 hours after TBI, sham and TBI+tDCS groups were treated with 0.5 mA 30 minutes anodal tDCS treatment for 2 days. Locomotor activity was evaluated in open field test. IL-1β and IL-18 levels in motor cortex tissue were measured by the ELISA method.. Results: Compared to the sham group, locomotor activity results showed significant decreases in the TBI group while the TBI+tDCS group showed significant increases compared to the TBI group. There were significant increases in IL-1β and IL-18 values in the motor cortex of the animals in the TBI group compared to the sham group, while there was a significant decrease in the TBI+tDCS group compared to the TBI group. Conclusion: tDCS treatment was shown to have therapeutic effects on neuroinflammation against traumatic brain injury.