Charité University Medicine Berlin

8 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Neuroscience

Electrode Positioning and Montage in Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

Alexandre F. DaSilva¹, Magdalena Sarah Volz^2,3, Marom Bikson⁴, Felipe Fregni²

¹Headache & Orofacial Pain Effort (H.O.P.E.), Biologic & Material Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan , ²Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, ³Charité, University Medicine Berlin, ⁴Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of New York

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an established technique to modulate cortical excitability^1,2. It has been used as an investigative tool in neuroscience due to its effects on cortical plasticity, easy operation, and safe profile. One area that tDCS has been showing encouraging results is pain alleviation ^3-5.

Medicine

Technique and Considerations in the Use of 4x1 Ring High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS)

Mauricio F. Villamar^1,2, Magdalena Sarah Volz^1,3, Marom Bikson⁴, Abhishek Datta^1,4, Alexandre F. DaSilva^*5, Felipe Fregni^*1

¹Laboratory of Neuromodulation, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, ²School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador, ³Charité University Medicine Berlin, ⁴The City College of The City University of New York, ⁵Headache & Orofacial Pain Effort (H.O.P.E.), Biologic & Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Michigan

High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS), with its 4x1-ring montage, is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that combines both the neuromodulatory effects of conventional tDCS with increased focality. This article provides a systematic demonstration of the use of 4x1 HD-tDCS, and the considerations needed for safe and effective stimulation.

Biology

Culturing Primary Rat Inner Medullary Collecting Duct Cells

Dörte Faust¹, Andrea Geelhaar¹, Beate Eisermann¹, Jenny Eichhorst², Burkhard Wiesner², Walter Rosenthal^1,3, Enno Klussmann¹

¹Anchored Signalling, Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, ²Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP), ³Charité University Medicine Berlin

Arginine-vasopressin (AVP) controls fine-tuning of body water homeostasis through facilitating water reabsorption by renal principal cells. Here, we present a protocol for the cultivation of primary rat inner medullary collecting duct cells suitable for the elucidation of molecular mechanisms underlying AVP-mediated water reabsorption.

Medicine

Assessment of Cardiac Function and Myocardial Morphology Using Small Animal Look-locker Inversion Recovery (SALLI) MRI in Rats

Sarah Jeuthe¹, Darach O H-Ici¹, Ulrich Kemnitz¹, Thore Dietrich², Bernhard Schnackenburg³, Felix Berger¹, Titus Kuehne¹, Daniel Messroghli^1,2

¹Congenital Heart Disease and Pediatric Cardiology, German Heart Institute Berlin, ²Internal Medicine - Cardiology, German Heart Institute Berlin, ³Philips Health Care

Contrast enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging allows comprehensive in vivo assessment of the heart in small animal models of cardiovascular disease. Here we detail the procedures to perform CMR imaging, reconstruction and analysis using Small Animal Lock-Locker Inversion Recovery (SALLI) in rats.

Biology

Protocol for Isolation of Primary Human Hepatocytes and Corresponding Major Populations of Non-parenchymal Liver Cells

Victoria Kegel^*1, Daniela Deharde^*1, Elisa Pfeiffer¹, Katrin Zeilinger², Daniel Seehofer¹, Georg Damm¹

¹Department of General-, Visceral- and Transplantation Surgery, Charité University Medicine Berlin, ²Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité University Medicine Berlin

A technique to isolate human hepatocytes and non-parenchymal liver cells from the same donor is described. The different liver cell types build the basis for functional liver models and tissue engineering. This new method aims to isolate liver cells in a high yield and viability.

Neuroscience

Acute In Vivo Electrophysiological Recordings of Local Field Potentials and Multi-unit Activity from the Hyperdirect Pathway in Anesthetized Rats

Jens K. Haumesser¹, Johanna Kühn¹, Christopher Güttler¹, Dieu-Huong Nguyen¹, Maximilian H. Beck¹, Andrea A. Kühn¹, Christoph van Riesen¹

¹Department of Neurology, Movement Disorder and Neuromodulation Unit Berlin, Charité University Medicine Berlin

In this study, the methodology is presented on how to perform multi-site in vivo electrophysiological recordings from the hyperdirect pathway under urethane anesthesia.

Medicine

Four-Dimensional Computed Tomography-Guided Valve Sizing for Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement

Xiaolin Sun^*1,2, Yimeng Hao^*1,2, Jonathan Frederik Sebastian Kiekenap¹, Jasper Emeis¹, Marvin Steitz², Alexander Breitenstein-Attach², Felix Berger^1,2, Boris Schmitt^1,2,3

¹Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease, Charité University Medicine Berlin, ²Department of Pediatric Cardiology and Congenital Heart Disease, Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin, ³DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research) and BMBF (German Ministry of Education and Research)

This study assessed a new methodology with a straightened model generated from the four-dimensional cardiac computed tomography sequence to obtain the desired measurements for valve sizing in the application of transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement.

Medicine

Transcatheter Pulmonary Valve Replacement from Autologous Pericardium with a Self-Expandable Nitinol Stent in an Adult Sheep Model

Yimeng Hao^1,2, Xiaolin Sun^1,2, Jonathan Frederik Sebastian Kiekenap¹, Jasper Emeis¹, Marvin Steitz², Alexander Breitenstein-Attach², Felix Berger^1,2, Boris Schmitt^1,2,3,4,5

This study demonstrates the feasibility and safety of developing an autologous pulmonary valve for implantation at the native pulmonary valve position by using a self-expandable Nitinol stent in an adult sheep model. This is a step toward developing transcatheter pulmonary valve replacement for patients with right ventricular outflow tract dysfunction.