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Hashemirad F, Zoghi M, Fitzgerald PB, Hashemirad M, Jaberzadeh S. Site Dependency of Anodal Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation on Reaction Time and Transfer of Learning during a Sequential Visual Isometric Pinch Task. Brain Sci 2024; 14:408. [PMID: 38672057 PMCID: PMC11048073 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14040408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Considering the advantages of brain stimulation techniques in detecting the role of different areas of the brain in human sensorimotor behaviors, we used anodal transcranial direct-current stimulation (a-tDCS) over three different brain sites of the frontoparietal cortex (FPC) in healthy participants to elucidate the role of these three brain areas of the FPC on reaction time (RT) during a sequential visual isometric pinch task (SVIPT). We also aimed to assess if the stimulation of these cortical sites affects the transfer of learning during SVIPT. A total of 48 right-handed healthy participants were randomly assigned to one of the four a-tDCS groups: (1) left primary motor cortex (M1), (2) left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), (3) left posterior parietal cortex (PPC), and (4) sham. A-tDCS (0.3 mA, 20 min) was applied concurrently with the SVIPT, in which the participants precisely controlled their forces to reach seven different target forces from 10 to 40% of the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) presented on a computer screen with the right dominant hand. Four test blocks were randomly performed at the baseline and 15 min after the intervention, including sequence and random blocks with either hand. Our results showed significant elongations in the ratio of RTs between the M1 and sham groups in the sequence blocks of both the right-trained and left-untrained hands. No significant differences were found between the DLPFC and sham groups and the PPC and sham groups in RT measurements within the SVIPT. Our findings suggest that RT improvement within implicit learning of an SVIPT is not mediated by single-session a-tDCS over M1, DLPFC, or PPC. Further research is needed to understand the optimal characteristics of tDCS and stimulation sites to modulate reaction time in a precision control task such as an SVIPT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahimeh Hashemirad
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran 1985713871, Iran
- Monash Neuromodulation Research Unit, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3199, Australia;
| | - Maryam Zoghi
- Discipline of Physiotherapy, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, Federation University, Ballart, VIC 3199, Australia;
| | - Paul B. Fitzgerald
- School of Medicine and Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, NSW 2601, Australia;
| | | | - Shapour Jaberzadeh
- Monash Neuromodulation Research Unit, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3199, Australia;
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Kaminski E, Carius D, Knieke J, Mizuguchi N, Ragert P. Complex sequential learning is not facilitated by transcranial direct current stimulation over DLPFC or M1. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:2046-2058. [PMID: 38270331 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique which was found to have a positive modulatory effect on online sequence acquisition or offline motor consolidation, depending on the relative role of the associated brain region. Primary motor regions (M1) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC) have both been related to sequential learning. However, research so far did not systematically disentangle their differential roles in online and offline learning especially in more complex sequential paradigms. In this study, the influence of anodal M1 leg area-tDCS and anodal DLPFC-tDCS applied during complex sequential learning (online and offline) was investigated using a complex whole body serial reaction time task (CWB-SRTT) in 42 healthy volunteers. TDCS groups did not differ from sham tDCS group regarding their response and reaction time (online) and also not in terms of overnight consolidation (offline). Sequence specific learning and the number of recalled items also did not differ between groups. Results may be related to unspecific parameters such as timing of the stimulation or current intensity but can also be attributed to the relative role of M1 and DLPFC during early complex learning. Taken together, the current study provides preliminary evidence that M1 leg area or DLPFC modulation by means of tDCS does not improve complex sequential skill learning. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Understanding motor learning is helpful to deepen our knowledge about the human ability to acquire new skills. Complex sequential learning tasks have only been studied, sparsely, but are particularly mimicking challenges of daily living. The present study studied early motor learning in a complex serial reaction time task while transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was either applied to leg primary motor cortex or bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. TDCS did not affect sequential learning, neither directly during performance nor in terms of sequence consolidation. Results provide preliminary information that M1 or bilateral DLPFC modulation does not improve early complex motor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Kaminski
- Faculty of Sport Science, Department of Movement Neuroscience, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Daniel Carius
- Faculty of Sport Science, Department of Movement Neuroscience, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jan Knieke
- Faculty of Sport Science, Department of Movement Neuroscience, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nobuaki Mizuguchi
- Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
- Institute of Advanced Research for Sport and Health Science, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Patrick Ragert
- Faculty of Sport Science, Department of Movement Neuroscience, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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Kaminski E, Maudrich T, Bassler P, Ordnung M, Villringer A, Ragert P. tDCS over the primary motor cortex contralateral to the trained hand enhances cross-limb transfer in older adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:935781. [PMID: 36204550 PMCID: PMC9530461 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.935781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Transferring a unimanual motor skill to the untrained hand, a phenomenon known as cross-limb transfer, was shown to deteriorate as a function of age. While transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) ipsilateral to the trained hand facilitated cross-limb transfer in older adults, little is known about the contribution of the contralateral hemisphere to cross-limb transfer. In the present study, we investigated whether tDCS facilitates cross-limb transfer in older adults when applied over the motor cortex (M1) contralateral to the trained hand. Furthermore, the study aimed at investigating short-term recovery of tDCS-associated cross-limb transfer. In a randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled setting, 30 older adults (67.0 ± 4.6 years, 15 female) performed a short grooved-pegboard training using their left hand, while anodal (a-tDCS) or sham-tDCS (s-tDCS) was applied over right M1 for 20 min. Left (LHtrained) - and right-hand (RHuntrained) performance was tested before and after training and in three recovery measures 15, 30 and 45 min after training. LHtrained performance improved during both a-tDCS and s-tDCS and improvements persisted during recovery measures for at least 45 min. RHuntrained performance improved only following a-tDCS but not after s-tDCS and outlasted the stimulation period for at least 45 min. Together, these data indicate that tDCS over the M1 contralateral to the trained limb is capable of enhancing cross-limb transfer in older adults, thus showing that cross-limb transfer is mediated not only by increased bi-hemispheric activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Kaminski
- Department of Movement Neuroscience, Faculty of Sport Science, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- *Correspondence: Elisabeth Kaminski,
| | - Tom Maudrich
- Department of Movement Neuroscience, Faculty of Sport Science, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Pauline Bassler
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Madeleine Ordnung
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Pediatric Epidemiology, Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Patrick Ragert
- Department of Movement Neuroscience, Faculty of Sport Science, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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Corticospinal excitability of untrained side depends on the type of motor task and degree of improvement in motor function. Brain Cogn 2021; 148:105691. [PMID: 33515865 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Unimanual motor tasks change the corticospinal excitability of the trained and untrained side. However, whether the motor task type influences the modulation of the corticospinal excitability of the untrained side remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the effects of motor tasks on the corticospinal excitability of the untrained side and the relationship between the excitability and motor function. In Experiment I, we measured the corticospinal excitability of the untrained side and motor function after 10 min of motor training in two conditions (gripping task and ball rotation task). The gripping task decreased the excitability. In contrast, excitability remained unchanged after the ball rotation task; further, the modulation of excitability and motor function showed a correlation. In Experiment II, we measured the corticospinal excitability of the untrained side and motor function after two sessions of the ball rotation task. The excitability increased, but motor function remained unchanged after the first session, whereas the excitability decreased to the level observed before training, and motor function improved after the second session. We suggest that the training condition modulates the corticospinal excitability of the untrained side and that this is related to the modulation of motor function.
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Lacroix A, Proulx-Bégin L, Hamel R, De Beaumont L, Bernier PM, Lepage JF. Static magnetic stimulation of the primary motor cortex impairs online but not offline motor sequence learning. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9886. [PMID: 31285526 PMCID: PMC6614538 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46379-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Static magnetic fields (SMFs) are known to alter neural activity, but evidence of their ability to modify learning-related neuroplasticity is lacking. The present study tested the hypothesis that application of static magnetic stimulation (SMS), an SMF applied transcranially via a neodymium magnet, over the primary motor cortex (M1) would alter learning of a serial reaction time task (SRTT). Thirty-nine participants took part in two experimental sessions separated by 24 h where they had to learn the SRTT with their right hand. During the first session, two groups received SMS either over contralateral (i.e., left) or ipsilateral (i.e., right) M1 while a third group received sham stimulation. SMS was not applied during the second session. Results of the first session showed that application of SMS over contralateral M1 impaired online learning as compared to both ipsilateral and sham groups, which did not differ. Results further revealed that application of SMS did not impair offline learning or relearning. Overall, these results are in line with those obtained using other neuromodulatory techniques believed to reduce cortical excitability in the context of motor learning and suggest that the ability of SMS to alter learning-related neuroplasticity is temporally circumscribed to the duration of its application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angélina Lacroix
- Department of Pediatrics, Sherbrooke University, 3001-12th Ave. North, Sherbrooke, Canada.,Sherbrooke University Research Center, 3001-12th Ave. North, Sherbrooke, Canada
| | - Léa Proulx-Bégin
- Department of Psychology, Montreal University, 90 Ave. Vincent d'Indy, Montréal, Canada
| | - Raphaël Hamel
- Department of Pediatrics, Sherbrooke University, 3001-12th Ave. North, Sherbrooke, Canada.,Sherbrooke University Research Center, 3001-12th Ave. North, Sherbrooke, Canada.,Faculty of Physical Activity Sciences, Sherbrooke University, 2500 de l'Université Blvd., Sherbrooke, Canada
| | - Louis De Beaumont
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pavillon Roger-Gaudry C.P, 6128, Montréal, Canada
| | - Pierre-Michel Bernier
- Faculty of Physical Activity Sciences, Sherbrooke University, 2500 de l'Université Blvd., Sherbrooke, Canada
| | - Jean-François Lepage
- Department of Pediatrics, Sherbrooke University, 3001-12th Ave. North, Sherbrooke, Canada. .,Sherbrooke University Research Center, 3001-12th Ave. North, Sherbrooke, Canada.
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Wardzinski EK, Friedrichsen L, Dannenberger S, Kistenmacher A, Melchert UH, Jauch-Chara K, Oltmanns KM. Double transcranial direct current stimulation of the brain increases cerebral energy levels and systemic glucose tolerance in men. J Neuroendocrinol 2019; 31:e12688. [PMID: 30659676 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 01/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory method that has been tested experimentally and has already been used as an adjuvant therapeutic option to treat a number of neurological disorders and neuropsychiatric diseases. Beyond its well known local effects within the brain, tDCS also transiently promotes systemic glucose uptake and reduces the activity of the neurohormonal stress axes. We aimed to test whether the effects of a single tDCS application could be replicated upon double stimulation to persistently improve systemic glucose tolerance and stress axes activity in humans. In a single-blinded cross-over study, we examined 15 healthy male volunteers. Anodal tDCS vs sham was applied twice in series. Systemic glucose tolerance was investigated by the standard hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic glucose clamp procedure, and parameters of neurohormonal stress axes activity were measured. Because tDCS-induced brain energy consumption has been shown to be part of the mechanism underlying the assumed effects, we monitored the cerebral high-energy phosphates ATP and phosphocreatine by 31 phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy. As hypothesised, analyses revealed that double anodal tDCS persistently increases glucose tolerance compared to sham. Moreover, we observed a significant rise in cerebral high-energy phosphate content upon double tDCS. Accordingly, the activity of the neurohormonal stress axes was reduced upon tDCS compared to sham. Our data demonstrate that double tDCS promotes systemic glucose uptake and reduces stress axes activity in healthy humans. These effects suggest that repetitive tDCS may be a future non-pharmacological option for combating glucose intolerance in type 2 diabetes patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewelina K Wardzinski
- Section of Psychoneurobiology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Lisa Friedrichsen
- Section of Psychoneurobiology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Sina Dannenberger
- Section of Psychoneurobiology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Alina Kistenmacher
- Section of Psychoneurobiology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Uwe H Melchert
- Section of Psychoneurobiology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Kamila Jauch-Chara
- Section of Psychoneurobiology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
| | - Kerstin M Oltmanns
- Section of Psychoneurobiology, Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Luebeck, Luebeck, Germany
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