Beneficial Effects of Theta-Burst Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Stroke Injury via Improving Neuronal Microenvironment and Mitochondrial Integrity

We report that rTMS significantly attenuated behavioral deficits and infarct volume after PT stroke. Fur ther investigation demonstrated that rTMS remarkably reduced synaptic loss and neuronal degeneration in the peri-infarct cortical region. Mechanistic studies displayed that beneficial effects of rTMS were associated with robust suppression of reactive micro/astrogliosis and the overproduction of pro -inflammatory cytokines, as well as oxidative stress and oxidative neuronal damage especially at the late stage following PT stroke. Intriguingly, rTMS could effectively induce a shift in microglial M1/M2 phenotype activation and an A1 to A2 switch in astrocytic phenotypes. In addition, the release of anti-inflammatory cytokines and mitochondrial MnSOD in peri-infarct regions were elevated following rTMS treatment. Finally, rTMS treatment efficaciously preserved mitochondrial membrane integrity and suppressed the intrinsic mitochondrial caspase-9/3 apoptotic pathway within the peri-infarct cor tex. Our novel findings indicate that rTMS treatment exerted robust neuroprotection when applied at least 3 h after ischemic stroke. The underlying mechanisms are partially associated with improvement of the local neuronal microenvironment by altering inflammatory and oxidative status and preservin g mitochondrial integrity in the peri-infarct zone. These findings provide strong support for the promising therapeutic effect of rTMS against ischemic neuronal injury and functional deficits ...
Source: Translational Stroke Research - Category: Neurology Source Type: research