Effect of Electrical Stimulation Duration to Elicit Growth of Neurons

Injuries to the peripheral nervous system (PNS) affect numerous people worldwide. Endogenous electrical currents are important during development and may influence axonal re-growth to aid recovery following injury. Electrical stimulation for 8 hours with 50 mV/mm has been previously shown to influence neurite re-growth and this was further enhanced by co-stimulation with Schwann cells (SC). The optimal duration for electrical stimulation is not known and therefore this study examines neuronal morphology and outgrowth in response to electrically stimulated SC following a shorter 1 hour stimulation at 50 mV/mm. Primary dissociated dorsal root ganglion neurons were seeded on the electrically stimulated SC. Results indicate that the electrically stimulated SC elicited greater total neurite outgrowth by 2.05-fold compared to unstimulated control populations with no directional bias. Application of electrical stimulation in vivo could aid neuron regrowth to PNS injuries.