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P 86. Increased tDCS intensity improves motor learning in healthy subjects
Society Proceedings / Clinical Neurophysiology 124 (2013) e39–e187
P 86. Increased tDCS intensity improves motor learning in healthy subjects—J.F.D. Leenus a,b, K. Cuypers a,b,c, F.E. den Berg van c, M.A. Nitsche d, H. Thijs b,e, N. Wenderoth c,f, R.L.J. Meesen a,b,c (a UHasselt, Biomed, Diepenbeek, Belgium, b PHL, Reval, Hasselt, Belgium, c K.U. Leuven, Biomedical Sciences, Heverlee, Belgium, d Georg-August University, Clinical Neurophysiology, Gôttingen, Germany, e I-Biostat, Interuniversity Institute for Biostastics and stastical Bioinformatics, Diepenbeek, Leuven, Belgium, f ETH Zurich, Health Sciences and Technology, Zurich, Switzerland) Although tDCS has been shown to improve motor learning, previous studies reported rather small effects. Since physiological effects of tDCS depend on intensity, the present study evaluated this parameter in order to enhance the effect of tDCS on skill acquisition. The effect of different stimulation intensities of anodal tDCS (atDCS) was investigated in a double blind, sham controlled crossover design. In each condition, thirteen healthy subjects were instructed to perform a unimanual motor (sequence) learning task. Our results showed (1) a significant increase in the slope of the learning curve and (2) a significant improvement in motor performance at retention for 1.5 mA atDCS as compared to sham tDCS. No significant differences were reported between 1 mA atDCS and sham tDCS; and between 1.5 mA atDCS and 1 mA atDCS.
Fig. 1
e107
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether visual spatial attention modifies plasticity induced by external stimulation of the human motor cortex. Methods: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and a paired associative stimulation (PAS) procedure were used to induce longterm potentiation-like (PAS-LTP) or long-term depression-like (PAS-LTD) plasticity in the motor cortex. PAS involved pairing peripheral electrical stimulation targeting the left thumb muscle with TMS over the representation of the same muscle in motor cortex. During the induction of plasticity, participants focused their attention on one of two visual stimulus streams located adjacent to each hand. Changes in cortical excitability induced by the PAS procedure were assessed using single-pulse TMS and motor evoked potentials. Results: For the PAS-LTP procedure, increases in cortical excitability were larger when participants attended to visual stimuli located near the left thumb relative to when they attended instead to stimuli located near the right thumb. Preliminary results from the PAS-LTD procedure indicate that attending near to the targeted hand also alters LTD-like plasticity. Conclusion: The findings suggest that voluntary spatial attention can influence functional plasticity in the human cortex, and thus have important implications for neurorehabilitation. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by a Project Grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (#APP1028210), and by a bequest made to the University of Queensland by The Estate of Dr. Salvatore Vitale.
doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2013.04.164 doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2013.04.165
P 87. The influence of visual spatial attention on plasticity in the human motor cortex—M. Kamke a, A. Ryan a, M. Sale a, M. Campbell a, S. Riek b, T. Carroll b, J. Mattingley a (a The University of Queensland, The Queensland Brain Institute, St. Lucia, Australia, b The University of Queensland, School of Human Movement Studies, St. Lucia, Australia)
P 88. Unilateral and bilateral tDCS of the human motor cortex does not differentially modulate motor function in healthy adults—D. Kidgell, A. Goodwill, A. Frazer, R. Daly (Deakin University, Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Burwood, Australia)
Introduction: Brain plasticity plays a fundamental role in adaptation, learning and memory. It is well established that mechanisms of spatial attention can dramatically alter ongoing brain activity, but the influence of attention on plasticity is poorly understood.
Introduction: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique that modulates the excitability of neurons within the primary motor cortex (M1). Neuronal excitability is modified by the application of direct currents in a polarity specific man-
Fig. 1. Evolution of motor performance during motor learning and at retention (% normalized relative to baseline) for the 1.5 mA atDCS, 1 mA atDCS and sham condition.
P 86. Increased tDCS intensity improves motor learning in healthy subjects—J.F.D. Leenus a,b, K. Cuypers a,b,c, F.E. den Berg van c, M.A. Nitsche d, H. Thijs b,e, N. Wenderoth c,f, R.L.J. Meesen a,b,c (a UHasselt, Biomed, Diepenbeek, Belgium, b PHL, Reval, Hasselt, Belgium, c K.U. Leuven, Biomedical Sciences, Heverlee, Belgium, d Georg-August University, Clinical Neurophysiology, Gôttingen, Germany, e I-Biostat, Interuniversity Institute for Biostastics and stastical Bioinformatics, Diepenbeek, Leuven, Belgium, f ETH Zurich, Health Sciences and Technology, Zurich, Switzerland) Although tDCS has been shown to improve motor learning, previous studies reported rather small effects. Since physiological effects of tDCS depend on intensity, the present study evaluated this parameter in order to enhance the effect of tDCS on skill acquisition. The effect of different stimulation intensities of anodal tDCS (atDCS) was investigated in a double blind, sham controlled crossover design. In each condition, thirteen healthy subjects were instructed to perform a unimanual motor (sequence) learning task. Our results showed (1) a significant increase in the slope of the learning curve and (2) a significant improvement in motor performance at retention for 1.5 mA atDCS as compared to sham tDCS. No significant differences were reported between 1 mA atDCS and sham tDCS; and between 1.5 mA atDCS and 1 mA atDCS.
Fig. 1
e107
Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether visual spatial attention modifies plasticity induced by external stimulation of the human motor cortex. Methods: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and a paired associative stimulation (PAS) procedure were used to induce longterm potentiation-like (PAS-LTP) or long-term depression-like (PAS-LTD) plasticity in the motor cortex. PAS involved pairing peripheral electrical stimulation targeting the left thumb muscle with TMS over the representation of the same muscle in motor cortex. During the induction of plasticity, participants focused their attention on one of two visual stimulus streams located adjacent to each hand. Changes in cortical excitability induced by the PAS procedure were assessed using single-pulse TMS and motor evoked potentials. Results: For the PAS-LTP procedure, increases in cortical excitability were larger when participants attended to visual stimuli located near the left thumb relative to when they attended instead to stimuli located near the right thumb. Preliminary results from the PAS-LTD procedure indicate that attending near to the targeted hand also alters LTD-like plasticity. Conclusion: The findings suggest that voluntary spatial attention can influence functional plasticity in the human cortex, and thus have important implications for neurorehabilitation. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by a Project Grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (#APP1028210), and by a bequest made to the University of Queensland by The Estate of Dr. Salvatore Vitale.
doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2013.04.164 doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2013.04.165
P 87. The influence of visual spatial attention on plasticity in the human motor cortex—M. Kamke a, A. Ryan a, M. Sale a, M. Campbell a, S. Riek b, T. Carroll b, J. Mattingley a (a The University of Queensland, The Queensland Brain Institute, St. Lucia, Australia, b The University of Queensland, School of Human Movement Studies, St. Lucia, Australia)
P 88. Unilateral and bilateral tDCS of the human motor cortex does not differentially modulate motor function in healthy adults—D. Kidgell, A. Goodwill, A. Frazer, R. Daly (Deakin University, Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Burwood, Australia)
Introduction: Brain plasticity plays a fundamental role in adaptation, learning and memory. It is well established that mechanisms of spatial attention can dramatically alter ongoing brain activity, but the influence of attention on plasticity is poorly understood.
Introduction: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique that modulates the excitability of neurons within the primary motor cortex (M1). Neuronal excitability is modified by the application of direct currents in a polarity specific man-
Fig. 1. Evolution of motor performance during motor learning and at retention (% normalized relative to baseline) for the 1.5 mA atDCS, 1 mA atDCS and sham condition.