Electrical stimulation can ‘starve’ brain cancers, early

study shows
geneticliteracyproject.org/2019/08/23/electrical-stimulation-can-starve-brain-cancers-early-study-shows/

Paul Biegler | Cosmos | August 23, 2019

MRI scan of patient with glioblastoma. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

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Researchers have shown that electrical stimulation to the skull can starve brain cancers
of vital nutrient-rich blood, opening the door to “brain zapping” as a new treatment for
the often-fatal tumours.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applies a low intensity electrical current
to the brain via electrodes on the scalp and is being investigated for a range of disorders
including depression, speech loss after stroke, and the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s
disease.

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A team from Harvard Medical School, US, and Italy’s University of Siena enrolled eight
patients for the recent study. Six had glioblastomas – tumours that grow from the brain
tissue itself – and two had metastatic cancers that had spread from the lung.

Each patient then had 20 minutes of tDCS while in a functional MRI scanner, which can
monitor blood flow in the brain.

For such a brief intervention, the results were dramatic.

Blood flow to the tumour reduced by an average 36%, ranging from 26% in the patients
with glioblastoma to 45% for the patients with metastases. Apart from some reported
tingling when the stimulation began, which is common in tDCS, there were no reported
adverse effects.

Read full, original post: Can ‘brain zapping’ tackle tumours?

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Researchers have shown that electrical stimulation to the skull can starve brain cancers
of vital nutrient-rich blood, opening the door to “brain zapping” as a new treatment for
the often-fatal tumours.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applies a low intensity electrical current
to the brain via electrodes on the scalp and is being investigated for a range of disorders
including depression, speech loss after stroke, and the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s
disease.

A team from Harvard Medical School, US, and Italy’s University of Siena enrolled eight
patients for the recent study. Six had glioblastomas – tumours that grow from the brain
tissue itself – and two had metastatic cancers that had spread from the lung.

Each patient then had 20 minutes of tDCS while in a functional MRI scanner, which can
monitor blood flow in the brain.

For such a brief intervention, the results were dramatic.

Blood flow to the tumour reduced by an average 36%, ranging from 26% in the patients
with glioblastoma to 45% for the patients with metastases. Apart from some reported
tingling when the stimulation began, which is common in tDCS, there were no reported
adverse effects.

Read full, original post: Can ‘brain zapping’ tackle tumours?

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