![Sample our Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5944/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Medicine-Dentistry-Nursing-Allied-Health.jpg"})
Abstract
Purpose
To clarify the preventive and therapeutic effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on brain injury induced by X-ray cranial irradiation, preliminarily identify the mechanism and provide a novel clinical approach for the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced brain injury (RBI).
Materials and methods
Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the sham group, large fractionated dose (5 Gy × 4 d) group, large fractionated dose + rTMS (5 Gy × 4 d + rTMS) group, conventional fractionated dose (2 Gy × 10 d) group and conventional fractionated dose + rTMS (2 Gy × 10 d + rTMS) group. After cranial irradiation and rTMS, behavioral experiments, morphological staining and molecular biology experiments were performed. We further determined the mechanism of rTMS on the prevention and treatment of RBI, including changes in hippocampal neuronal apoptosis, neural stem cell (NSC) proliferation and differentiation, and neuronal synaptic plasticity.
Results
rTMS alleviated the negative effects of cranial radiation on the general health of mice and promoted their recovery. rTMS ameliorated the impairment of spatial learning and memory induced by cranial radiation, and this beneficial effect was more robust in the conventional fractionated dose group than the large fractionated dose group. Moreover, rTMS alleviated the alterations in hippocampal structure and neuronal death and had preventive and therapeutic effects against RBI. In addition, rTMS reduced hippocampal cell apoptosis, promoted NSC proliferation and differentiation in the hippocampus after cranial irradiation, and enhanced neuronal synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. Subsequent studies showed that rTMS upregulated the expression of learning- and memory-related proteins.
Conclusion
rTMS could alleviate learning and memory impairment caused by RBI, and the preventive and therapeutic effects of rTMS were better for the conventional fraction radiation paradigms.
Disclosure statement
All authors declare no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Li-Yuan Liu
Li-yuan Liu was a postgraduate student at Department of Radiation Protection Medicine, School of Military Preventive Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Tong-Zhou Qin
Tong-zhou Qin is a Master degree candidate at Department of Radiation Protection Medicine, School of Military Preventive Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Ling Guo
Ling Guo is a PhD candidate at Department of Radiation Protection Medicine, School of Military Preventive Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Huang Rong-Rong
Rong-rong Huang was a Research Assistant at Department of Radiation Protection Medicine, School of Military Preventive Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China, and a postgraduate student at School of Public Health, Shandong First Medical University, Tai'an, China.
Yun-Tao Jing
Yun-tao Jing and Pan-pan Lai are the Master degree candidates at Department of Radiation Protection Medicine, School of Military Preventive Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Pan-Pan Lai
Yi-zhe Xue is a Research Assistant at Department of Radiation Protection Medicine, School of Military Preventive Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Yi-zhe Xue
Yi-zhe Xue is a Research Assistant at Department of Radiation Protection Medicine, School of Military Preventive Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Gui-Rong Ding
Gui-rong Ding is the vice director and professor at department of Radiation Protection Medicine, School of Military Preventive Medicine, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China. Her research focuses on radiation injury and prevention.