PUBLICATIONS

Theme 1: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Clinical and Basic Research

We have been working on the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) application to healthy people and patients with neurological disorders, and investigating the neurophysiological mechanism in the disease animal model. Our research focuses on the therapeutic effects and neurophysiological mechanisms of neuromodulation applied to seizure disorders and cognitive impairments.

1. Anodal tDCS to enhance cognition, from healthy subjects, diabetic patients with mild cognitive impairment, to disease animal model: We reported that anodal tDCS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex can facilitate visuospatial working memory in healthy young subjects and the beneficial effect of tDCS also showed in the diabetic patients who concomitantly suffered from peripheral neuropathy and mild cognitive impairment. We found that repeated anodal tDCS improved the spatial working memory in diabetic rats through the potentiation of synaptic plasticity by upregulating BDNF secretion and transcription/translation of NMDARs, and increasing the dendritic spine density.

2. Cathodal tDCS to alleviate seizures, from acute status epilepticus to chronic seizure animal models:
Our studies find that in an acute sustained seizure rat model of status epilepticus, repeated cathodal tDCS can mitigate seizure severity, alter ictal EEG pattern and reduce the chronic adverse consequences, supporting the therapeutic potential of tDCS in severe prolonged epileptic seizures, and in a chronic seizure animal model. We reveal an inverse relationship between the changes of delta oscillation and interictal spikes during tDCS on and off stimulation periods indicating that an enhanced endogenous delta oscillation underlies the tDCS inhibitory effect on epileptic excitability. In the serial studies, we uncover how cathodal tDCS decreases the brain excitability in an epileptic brain via modulating the endogenous neural oscillations. With these advanced understandings of the neurophysiological basis of tDCS, we can optimize the clinical application of tDCS for the patients with neurological disorders. ​

1. Chiang CC, Chien ME, Huang YC, Lin JT, Liang SF, Hsu KS, Durand DM, Wu YJ*. Cathodal weak direct current decreases epileptic excitability with reduced neuronal activity and enhanced delta oscillations. Journal of Physiology 2025;603(9):2763-2782.  (IF 4.4, 89.1% in Physiology) [PDF] [Link]

2. Chiang CC, Chien ME, Huang YC, Liang SF, Hsu KS, Durand DM, Wu YJ* (18 Jun 2024). Noninvasive subthreshold current decreases seizure excitability by reducing neuronal activity and enhancing spike-delta wave coupling. 10th Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference, Rockville, MD, USA.

3. Yu TH, Wu YJ, Chien ME, Hsu KS*. Multisession anodal transcranial direct current stimulation enhances adult hippocampal neurogenesis and context discrimination in mice. Journal of Neuroscience 2023; 43(4):635-646. (IF 6.709, 82.73% in Neurosciences) [PDF] [Link]

4. Wu YJ*, Chiang CC, Chien ME, Huang YC, Liang SF, Hsu KS, Durand DM (14 Nov 2023). Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation decreases the epileptic excitability: From neuronal firings to local field potential oscillations. 2023 Neuroscience, Society of Neuroscience, Washington DC, USA.

5. Wu YJ*, Chien ME, Chiang CC, Huang YZ, Durand DM, Hsu KS*. Delta oscillation underlies the interictal spike changes after repeated transcranial direct current stimulation in a rat model of chronic seizures. Brain Stimulation 2021;14(4):771-779. (IF 8.955, 93.99% in Clinical Neurology, 93.22% in Neurosciences, *corresponding and first author) [PDF] [Link]

6. Wu YJ*, Chien ME, Huang CH, Chiang CC, Lin CC, Huang CW, Durand DM, Hsu KS*. Transcranial direct current stimulation alleviates seizure severity in kainic acid-induced status epilepticus rats. Experimental Neurology 2020;328:113264. (IF 5.33, Neurosciences 70/273, 74.54%, *corresponding and first author) [PDF] [Link] 

7. Wu YJ, Chiang CC, Chien ME, Huang CH, Hsu KS, Durand DM (2019, Oct). Transcranial direct current stimulation ameliorates status epilepticus in rats: From seizure severity, EEG, neuronal firing to epileptogenesis. Oral presentation, 2019 Neuroscience, Society of Neuroscience, Chicago, USA.

8. Wu YJ, Chien ME, Huang CH, Lin CC, Hsu KS (2018, Nov). Transcranial direct current stimulation ameliorated seizure severity and altered ictal EEG in the status epilepticus rats. Oral presentation, The Asian Oceanian Congress of Neurology, Seoul, Korea.

9. Yu TH, Wu YJ, Chien ME, Hsu KS*. Transcranial direct current stimulation induces hippocampal metaplasticity mediated by brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Neuropharmacology 2019;144:358-367. (IF 5.251, Pharmacology & Pharmacy 54/276, 80.62%; Neurosciences 72/273, 73.81%) [PDF] [Link]

10. Wu YJ, Lin CC, Yeh CM, Chien ME, Tsao MC, Tseng P, Huang CW, Hsu KS. Repeated transcranial direct current stimulation improves cognitive dysfunction and synaptic plasticity deficit in the prefrontal cortex of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Brain Stimulation 2017;10(6):1079-1087. (IF 8.955, Clinical Neurology 13/208, 93.99%; Neurosciences 19/273, 93.22%) [PDF] [Link]

11. Wu YJ, Tseng P, Huang HW, Hu JF, Juan CH, Hsu KS, Lin CC. The facilitative effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on visuospatial working memory in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy: a pre-post sham-controlled study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2016;10:479-489. (IF 3.169, Psychology 27/77, 65.58%) [PDF] [Link]

12. Wu YJ, Tseng P, Chang CF, Pai MC, Hsu KS, Lin CC, Juan CH. Modulating the interference effect on spatial working memory by applying transcranial direct current stimulation over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Brain and Cognition 2014;91:87-94. (IF 2.310, Psychology, Experimental 51/91, 44.51%) [PDF] [Link]​​

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Theme 2: Clinical Studies: Seizure, Epilepsy and General Neurology

1.  PY Lin, CT Hsiao, HW Huang, YJ Wu, SJ Fu, YC Lee*. Intrafamilial Phenotypic Variation in Taiwanese Patients with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease Due to KIF5A Mutations: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study. Acta Neurol Taiwan 2025 Jun 11. Online ahead of print. [Link]

2. YT Fang, TL Lee, YH Tu, SH Lin, ME Chien, CW Huang, KS Hsu, YJ Wu*. Factors associated with mortality in patients with super-refractory status epilepticus. Scientific Reports 2022;12(1): 9670. (IF 4.38, Multidisciplinary Sciences 17/72, 77.08%) [PDF] [Link]

3. Lai MC, Hung TY, Lin KM, Sung PS, Wu SJ, Yang CS, Wu YJ, Tsai JJ, Wu SN†, Huang CW*. Sodium Metabisulfite: Effects on Ionic Currents and Excitotoxicity. Neurotoxicity Research 2018;34(1):1-15.

4. Lai MC, Lin KM, Tsai JJ, Wu YJ, Huang CW. Dupuytren’s contracture: subacute onset after long-term antiepileptic drug use. Neuropsychiatry 2016;6(6): 366-368.

5. Chow JC, Huang CW, Fang CW, Wu YJ, Tsai JJ. Lamotrigine-induced hypersensitivity syndrome in a Han Chinese patient with the HLA-B*5801 genotype. Neurological Sciences 2013;34(1):117-119.

6. Wu YJ, Lin CC. Cold-induced eyelid myotonia. Neurology 2013;80(8):e81-e81. (IF 8.166) [PDF]

7. Wu YJ, Pai MC. Two gloves and one sock syndrome after a pontine hemorrhage. Neurologist 2012;18(4):196-198. [PDF]

8. Wu YJ, Tsai TT, Huang CW. Conjugate eye deviation shifting in hemispheric stroke indicates an emerging mass effect. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience 2011; 18(9):1276-1278. [PDF]

9. Hsieh CY, Chiou NJ, Wu YJ, Tsai JJ, Huang CW. Somatosensory rub evoked reflex epilepsy of a temporal lobe origin. Neurological Sciences 2011;32(2):297-299.

10. Huang CW, Wu YJ, Wu SN. Modification of activation kinetics of delayed rectifier K+ currents and neuronal excitability by methyl-β-cyclodextrin. Neuroscience 2011;176:431-41. ​

11. Wu YJ, Lai ML, Huang CW. Reversible postvaccination paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma. International Journal of Neuroscience 2010;120(12):792-795. [PDF]

12. Wu YJ, Tsai JJ, Huang CW. Nonketotic hyperglycemia-related reflex epileptic seizures induced by Mah-Jong playing. Epilepsy & Behavior 2010;19(3):533-535. [PDF]

Theme 3: Vagus Nerve: Neuromodulation & Neuroscience

1. Yu-Chieh Hung, Yi-Jen Wu, Miao-Er Chien, Yu-Ting Lin, Cheng-Fang Tsai, Kuei-Sen Hsu*. Loss of oxytocin receptors in hilar mossy cells impairs social discrimination. Neurobiology of Disease 2023;187:106311. [PDF] [Link]. (IF 6.1, Neurosciences 84.7% )

2. Fang YT† , Lin YT† , Tseng WL, Tseng P, Hua GL, Chao YJ, Wu YJ*. Neuroimmunomodulation of vagus nerve stimulation and the therapeutic implications. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 2023;15:1173987.  [PDF] [Link]. (IF 5.702, Neurosciences 75.82%)

3. Chen CH, Tsai TC, Wu YJ, Hsu KS*.Gastric vagal afferent signaling to the basolateral amygdala mediates anxiety-like behaviors in experimental colitis mice. JCI insight 2023;8(22):e161874.(IF 9.496, Medicine, Research & Experimental 19/139, 86.69%)  [PDF] [Link] 

Theme 4: Focus Ultrasound in Epilepsy

1.  Pei-Hsuan Wu, Miao-Er Chien, Yi-Jen Wu*, Ching-Hsiang Fan*. Focused ultrasound combined with drug-loaded microbubbles suppresses ictal spikes in kainic acid-induced epileptic animals. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry 2025 September, 120:107518. [PDF] [Link] (IF 9.7, Acoustics 98.8% )