The effects of low intensity focused ultrasonic stimulation on dorsal root ganglia neurons and Schwann cells in vitro
Abstract
Despite current therapies for peripheral nerve injuries (PNIs), only approximately half of 20 million of patients receiving treatment each year regain satisfactory motor and sensory functionality (Grinsell & Keating, 2014). Both the prevalence and poor prognosis for PNI patients underscore a need for novel treatment options. While electrical stimulation has shown promise for nerve regeneration, it often requires invasive surgery to implant electrodes and can result in scar tissue and introduce infection. Ultrasound stimulation (US) can achieve similar regenerative effects as electrical stimulation but can be delivered completely non-invasively and at sub-millimeter resolution. In fact, US has been shown to facilitate action potential firing and synaptic vesicle release in neurons. To implement US safely as a potential therapy for PNI, the effect of US on neuronal cytoskeletal rearrangement and its effect on proximal glial cells such as Schwann cells (SCs) needs to be investigated further. Therefore, this dissertation aims to expand upon previous studies of US on neurons alone, by observing the impact of US on neuron/SC cocultures and on the SCs alone. In the studies described herein, it was determined that US can enhance neurite outgrowth and branching in DRG neurons in an acoustic intensity-dependent manner in both DRG neuron cultures alone and in DRG/SC cocultures. Mean longest neurite formation was unaffected by US after 24 hours of analysis, but the hourly rate of total…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a thesis, done in cell cultures (in vitro), not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health. Reported size: 20 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Lathyrism-induced alterations in collagen cross-links influence the mechanical properties of bone material without affecting the mineral
- High-Resolution SPECT-CT/MR Molecular Imaging of Angiogenesis in the Vx2 Model
- Severely impaired bone material quality in Chihuahua zebrafish resembles classical dominant human osteogenesis imperfecta
- Small-animal SPECT and SPECT/CT: application in cardiovascular research
- Intravital imaging of osteocytes in mouse calvaria using third harmonic generation microscopy
- Techniques and Evaluation From a Cross-Platform Imaging Comparison of Quantitative Ultrasound Parameters in an In Vivo Rodent Fibroadenoma Model
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.