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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Oct 2:474:115201.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115201. Epub 2024 Aug 14.

Reduced plasma interleukin-6 concentration after transcranial direct current stimulation to the prefrontal cortex

Beyza N Aydin  1 , Emma J Stinson  1 , Katherine T Travis  1 , Jonathan Krakoff  1 , Theresa Rodzevik  1 , Douglas C Chang  1 , Marci E Gluck  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Reduced plasma interleukin-6 concentration after transcranial direct current stimulation to the prefrontal cortex

Beyza N Aydin et al. Behav Brain Res. .

Abstract

Objectives: Transcranial direct stimulation (tDCS) targeted to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) reduces food intake and hunger, but its effects on circulating factors are unclear. We assessed the effect of repeated administration of tDCS to the left DLPFC (L-DLPFC) on concentrations of pro/anti-inflammatory and appetitive hormone concentrations.

Materials and methods: Twenty-nine healthy adults with obesity (12 M; 42±11 y; BMI=39±8 kg/m2) received 3 consecutive inpatient sessions of either anodal or sham tDCS targeted to the L-DLPFC during a period of ad libitum food intake. Fasting plasma concentrations of IL-6, orexin, cortisol, TNF-α, IL-1β, ghrelin, PYY, and GLP-1 were measured before the initial and after the final tDCS sessions.

Results: IL-6 (β=-0.92 pg/ml p=0.03) decreased in the anodal group compared with sham, even after adjusting for kcal intake; there were no changes in other hormones. Mean kcal intake was associated with higher IL-1β and ghrelin concentrations after the ad libitum period (β=0.00018 pg/ml/kcal, p=0.03; β=0.00011 pg/ml/kcal, p=0.02; respectively), but not differ by intervention groups.

Conclusions: IL-6 concentrations were reduced following anodal tDCS to the L-DLPFC independent of ad libitum intake. IL-6 concentrations reflect the inflammatory state of adiposity and may affect eating behavior and weight gain. These findings provide evidence of therapeutic benefit of tDCS.

Keywords: Appetitive hormones; Cytokines; Food intake; Inflammation; Non-Invasive Neuromodulation; Obesity; Pro-inflammatory hormones.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest None.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:. Overview of study design.
Squares with numbers indicate the days of inpatient assessment. After receiving informed consent, the study physician enrolled the participants. Upon admission before the vending machine paradigm (days 8, 9, and 10), participants were administered an individualized weight maintain diet based on body weight and sex (20% protein, 30% fat, 50% carbohydrate). On day 2, fat-mass, fat-free mass, and percentage of body fat were estimated by DXA (DPX-L; Lunar Radiation Corp). Glucose tolerance was determined on day 4 by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Study participants received anodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on days 8, 9, and 10. On these days, ad libitum food intake was measured using the vending machine paradigm. Fasting plasma hormone concentrations of IL-6, orexin, cortisol, TNF-α, IL-1β, ghrelin, PYY, and GLP-1 were drawn on day 8 before the first tDCS session and on the day after the last tDCS session (day 11) at 5:30 am. Participants discharged on day 11.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
IL-6 decreased significantly in the anodal group compared to the sham group (p=0.0299). Bars represent means and 95% CI.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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