Title The effects of temporal interference stimulation on long-term synaptic plasticity in ca1 hippocampal neurons
Translation of Title Laikine interferencija paremtos stimuliacijos poveikis ilgalaikiam sinaptiniam plastiškumui CA1 hipokampo neuronuose.
Authors Kerševičiūtė, Ieva
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Pages 82
Keywords [eng] temporal interference stimulation, synaptic plasticity, hippocampus, computational modeling, laikine interferencija paremta stimuliacija, sinaptinis plastiškumas, hipokampas, kompiuterinis modeliavimas
Abstract [eng] Transcranial temporal interference stimulation (tTIS) is a novel non-invasive brain stimulation technique that employs multiple high-frequency interfering electric fields to enable stimulation at depth. Multiple studies applying tTIS to the human hippocampus have reported improvements in memory and persistent aftereffects, suggesting that tTIS may interact with long-term synaptic plasticity processes. However, the exact nature of these interactions remains unknown. Here, we applied computational modeling to investigate whether low- and high-intensity 5 Hz tTIS could modulate long-term synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. We used a biophysical model of a CA1 hippocampal pyramidal neuron receiving Schaffer collateral synaptic input, driven either by Poisson spike trains at multiple frequencies or by biologically realistic in vivo CA3 firing patterns. Our model showed a significant increase in the number of synapses undergoing plasticity under low-intensity tTIS that increased dendritic but not somatic spiking. On average, stimulation led to larger changes in synaptic weights while preserving overall synaptic weight dynamics and without introducing a clear potentiating or depressing bias. These effects were most pronounced under low and intermediate synaptic input frequencies, suggesting that tTIS could enhance ongoing synaptic dynamics and promote plasticity under weak synaptic input conditions. Similar effects were observed under biologically realistic in vivo synaptic input. Together, these findings suggest that tTIS may influence hippocampal synaptic plasticity and provide additional insight into the potential mechanisms underlying the cognitive effects of low-intensity tTIS.
Dissertation Institution Vilniaus universitetas.
Type Master thesis
Language English
Publication date 2026