scholarly journals Expanding the parameter space of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the primary motor cortex

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Desmond Agboada ◽  
Mohsen Mosayebi Samani ◽  
Asif Jamil ◽  
Min-Fang Kuo ◽  
Michael A. Nitsche

AbstractSize and duration of the neuroplastic effects of tDCS depend on stimulation parameters, including stimulation duration and intensity of current. The impact of stimulation parameters on physiological effects is partially non-linear. To improve the utility of this intervention, it is critical to gather information about the impact of stimulation duration and intensity on neuroplasticity, while expanding the parameter space to improve efficacy. Anodal tDCS of 1–3 mA current intensity was applied for 15–30 minutes to study motor cortex plasticity. Sixteen healthy right-handed non-smoking volunteers participated in 10 sessions (intensity-duration pairs) of stimulation in a randomized cross-over design. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)-induced motor-evoked potentials (MEP) were recorded as outcome measures of tDCS effects until next evening after tDCS. All active stimulation conditions enhanced motor cortex excitability within the first 2 hours after stimulation. We observed no significant differences between the three stimulation intensities and durations on cortical excitability. A trend for larger cortical excitability enhancements was however observed for higher current intensities (1 vs 3 mA). These results add information about intensified tDCS protocols and suggest that the impact of anodal tDCS on neuroplasticity is relatively robust with respect to gradual alterations of stimulation intensity, and duration.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martje G. Pauly ◽  
Annika Steinmeier ◽  
Christina Bolte ◽  
Feline Hamami ◽  
Elinor Tzvi ◽  
...  

AbstractNon-invasive brain stimulation techniques including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS), paired associative stimulation (PAS), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have been applied over the cerebellum to induce plasticity and gain insights into the interaction of the cerebellum with neo-cortical structures including the motor cortex. We compared the effects of 1 Hz rTMS, cTBS, PAS and tDCS given over the cerebellum on motor cortical excitability and interactions between the cerebellum and dorsal premotor cortex / primary motor cortex in two within subject designs in healthy controls. In experiment 1, rTMS, cTBS, PAS, and tDCS were applied over the cerebellum in 20 healthy subjects. In experiment 2, rTMS and PAS were compared to sham conditions in another group of 20 healthy subjects. In experiment 1, PAS reduced cortical excitability determined by motor evoked potentials (MEP) amplitudes, whereas rTMS increased motor thresholds and facilitated dorsal premotor-motor and cerebellum-motor cortex interactions. TDCS and cTBS had no significant effects. In experiment 2, MEP amplitudes increased after rTMS and motor thresholds following PAS. Analysis of all participants who received rTMS and PAS showed that MEP amplitudes were reduced after PAS and increased following rTMS. rTMS also caused facilitation of dorsal premotor-motor cortex and cerebellum-motor cortex interactions. In summary, cerebellar 1 Hz rTMS and PAS can effectively induce plasticity in cerebello-(premotor)-motor pathways provided larger samples are studied.


Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mindong Xu ◽  
Yinyu Zi ◽  
Jianlu Wu ◽  
Nenggui Xu ◽  
Liming Lu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Opposing needling has an obvious curative effect in the treatment of post-stroke hemiplegia; however, the mechanism of the opposing needling in the treatment of post-stroke hemiplegia is still not clear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of opposing needling on the excitability of primary motor cortex (M1) of healthy participants and patients with post-stroke hemiplegia, which may provide insight into the mechanisms of opposing needling in treating post-stroke hemiplegia. Methods This will be a single-blind, randomised, sham-controlled trial in which 80 healthy participants and 40 patients with post-stroke hemiplegia will be recruited. Healthy participants will be randomised 1:1:1:1 to the 2-Hz, 50-Hz, 100-Hz, and sham electroacupuncture groups. Patients with post-stroke hemiplegia will be randomised 1:1 to the opposing needling or conventional treatment groups. The M1 will be located in all groups by using neuroimaging-based navigation. The stimulator coil of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) will be moved over the left and right M1 in order to identify the TMS hotspot, followed by a recording of resting motor thresholds (RMTs) and motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) of the thenar muscles induced by TMS before and after the intervention. The primary outcome measure will be the percent change in the RMTs of the thenar muscles at baseline and after the intervention. The secondary outcome measures will be the amplitude (μV) and latency (ms) of the MEPs of the thenar muscles at baseline and after the intervention. Discussion The aim of this trial is to explore the effect of opposing needling on the excitability of M1 of healthy participants and patients with post-stroke hemiplegia. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1900028138. Registered on 13 December 2019.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Pozdniakov ◽  
Alicia Nunez Vorobiova ◽  
Giulia Galli ◽  
Simone Rossi ◽  
Matteo Feurra

AbstractTranscranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that allows interaction with endogenous cortical oscillatory rhythms by means of external sinusoidal potentials. The physiological mechanisms underlying tACS effects are still under debate. Whereas online (e.g., ongoing) tACS over the motor cortex induces robust state-, phase- and frequency-dependent effects on cortical excitability, the offline effects (i.e. after-effects) of tACS are less clear. Here, we explored online and offline effects of tACS in two single-blind, sham-controlled experiments. In both experiments we used neuronavigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the primary motor cortex (M1) as a probe to index changes of cortical excitability and delivered M1 tACS at 10 Hz (alpha), 20 Hz (beta) and sham (30 s of low-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation; tRNS). Corticospinal excitability was measured by single pulse TMS-induced motor evoked potentials (MEPs). tACS was delivered online in Experiment 1 and offline in Experiment 2. In Experiment 1, the increase of MEPs size was maximal with the 20 Hz stimulation, however in Experiment 2 neither the 10 Hz nor the 20 Hz stimulation induced tACS offline effects. These findings support the idea that tACS affects cortical excitability only during online application, at least when delivered on the scalp overlying M1, thereby contributing to the development of effective protocols that can be applied to clinical populations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 432
Author(s):  
Fiorenzo Moscatelli ◽  
Antonietta Messina ◽  
Anna Valenzano ◽  
Vincenzo Monda ◽  
Monica Salerno ◽  
...  

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, since its introduction in 1985, has brought important innovations to the study of cortical excitability as it is a non-invasive method and, therefore, can be used both in healthy and sick subjects. Since the introduction of this cortical stimulation technique, it has been possible to deepen the neurophysiological aspects of motor activation and control. In this narrative review, we want to provide a brief overview regarding TMS as a tool to investigate changes in cortex excitability in athletes and highlight how this tool can be used to investigate the acute and chronic responses of the motor cortex in sport science. The parameters that could be used for the evaluation of cortical excitability and the relative relationship with motor coordination and muscle fatigue, will be also analyzed. Repetitive physical training is generally considered as a principal strategy for acquiring a motor skill, and this process can elicit cortical motor representational changes referred to as use-dependent plasticity. In training settings, physical practice combined with the observation of target movements can enhance cortical excitability and facilitate the process of learning. The data to date suggest that TMS is a valid technique to investigate the changes in motor cortex excitability in trained and untrained subjects. Recently, interest in the possible ergogenic effect of non-invasive brain stimulation in sport is growing and therefore in the future it could be useful to conduct new experiments to evaluate the impact on learning and motor performance of these techniques.


Author(s):  
Vincent Cabibel ◽  
Makii Muthalib ◽  
Jérôme Froger ◽  
Stéphane Perrey

Repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a well-known clinical neuromodulation technique, but transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is rapidly growing interest for neurorehabilitation applications. Both methods (contralesional hemisphere inhibitory low-frequency: LF-rTMS or lesional hemisphere excitatory anodal: a-tDCS) have been employed to modify the interhemispheric imbalance following stroke. The aim of this pilot study was to compare aHD-tDCS (anodal high-definition tDCS) of the left M1 (2 mA, 20 min) and LF-rTMS of the right M1 (1 Hz, 20 min) to enhance excitability and reduce inhibition of the left primary motor cortex (M1) in five healthy subjects. Single-pulse TMS was used to elicit resting and active (low level muscle contraction, 5% of maximal electromyographic signal) motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) and cortical silent periods (CSPs) from the right and left extensor carpi radialis muscles at Baseline, immediately and 20 min (Post-Stim-20) after the end of each stimulation protocol. LF-rTMS or aHD-tDCS significantly increased right M1 resting and active MEP amplitude at Post-Stim-20 without any CSP modulation and with no difference between methods. In conclusion, this pilot study reported unexpected M1 excitability changes, which most likely stems from variability, which is a major concern in the field to consider.


2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (3) ◽  
pp. 1195-1201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Sommer ◽  
Joseph Classen ◽  
Leonardo G. Cohen ◽  
Mark Hallett

The primary motor cortex produces motor commands that include encoding the direction of movement. Excitability of the motor cortex in the reaction time (RT) task can be assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). To elucidate the timing of the increase in cortical excitability and of the determination of movement direction before movement onset, we asked six right-handed, healthy subjects to either abduct or extend their right thumb after a go-signal indicated the appropriate direction. Between the go-signal and movement onset, single TMS pulses were delivered to the contralateral motor cortex. We recorded the direction of the TMS-induced thumb movement and the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) from the abductor pollicis brevis and extensor pollicis brevis muscles. Facilitation of MEPs from the prime mover, as early as 200 ms before the end of the reaction time, preceded facilitation of MEPs from the nonprime mover, and both preceded measurable directional change. Compared with a control condition in which no voluntary movement was required, the direction of the TMS-induced thumb movement started to change in the direction of the intended movement as early as 90 ms before the end of the RT, and maximum changes were seen shortly before the end of reaction time. Movement acceleration also increased with maxima shortly before the end of the RT. We conclude that in concentric movements a change of the movement direction encoded in the primary motor cortex occurs in the 200 ms prior to movement onset, which is as early as increased excitability itself can be detected.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (7) ◽  
pp. 2924-2931 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Wischnewski ◽  
M Engelhardt ◽  
M A Salehinejad ◽  
D J L G Schutter ◽  
M -F Kuo ◽  
...  

Abstract Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has been shown to modulate neural oscillations and excitability levels in the primary motor cortex (M1). These effects can last for more than an hour and an involvement of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) mediated synaptic plasticity has been suggested. However, to date the cortical mechanisms underlying tACS after-effects have not been explored. Here, we applied 20 Hz beta tACS to M1 while participants received either the NMDAR antagonist dextromethorphan or a placebo and the effects on cortical beta oscillations and excitability were explored. When a placebo medication was administered, beta tACS was found to increase cortical excitability and beta oscillations for at least 60 min, whereas when dextromethorphan was administered, these effects were completely abolished. These results provide the first direct evidence that tACS can induce NMDAR-mediated plasticity in the motor cortex, which contributes to our understanding of tACS-induced influences on human motor cortex physiology.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Hyde ◽  
Ian Fuelscher ◽  
Jarrad A.G. Lum ◽  
Jacqueline Williams ◽  
Jason He ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectives:It is unclear whether the primary motor cortex (PMC) is involved in the mental simulation of movement [i.e., motor imagery (MI)]. The present study aimed to clarify PMC involvement using a highly novel adaptation of the hand laterality task (HLT).Methods:Participants were administered single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to the hand area of the left PMC (hPMC) at either 50 ms, 400 ms, or 650 ms post stimulus presentation. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the right first dorsal interosseous via electromyography. To avoid the confound of gross motor response, participant response (indicating left or right hand) was recorded via eye tracking. Participants were 22 healthy adults (18 to 36 years), 16 whose behavioral profile on the HLT was consistent with the use of a MI strategy (MI users).Results:hPMC excitability increased significantly during HLT performance for MI users, evidenced by significantly larger right hand MEPs following single-pulse TMS 50 ms, 400 ms, and 650 ms post stimulus presentation relative to baseline. Subsequent analysis showed that hPMC excitability was greater for more complex simulated hand movements, where hand MEPs at 50 ms were larger for biomechanically awkward movements (i.e., hands requiring lateral rotation) compared to simpler movements (i.e., hands requiring medial rotation).Conclusions:These findings provide support for the modulation of PMC excitability during the HLT attributable to MI, and may indicate a role for the PMC during MI. (JINS, 2017,23, 185–193)


2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verònica Gálvez ◽  
Angelo Alonzo ◽  
Donel Martin ◽  
Colleen K. Loo

Abstract Interest in transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as a new tool in neuropsychiatry has led to the need to establish optimal treatment protocols. In an intra-individual randomized cross-over design, 11 healthy volunteers received five tDCS sessions to the left primary motor cortex on consecutive weekdays at a constant or gradually increasing current intensity, in two separate weeks of testing. Cortical excitability was assessed before and after tDCS at each session through peripheral electromyographic recordings of motor-evoked potentials. Both conditions led to significant cumulative increases in cortical excitability across the week but there were no significant differences between the two groups. Motor thresholds decreased significantly from Monday to Friday in both conditions. This study demonstrated that, in the motor cortex, administration of tDCS five times per week whether at a constant intensity or at a gradually increasing intensity was equally effective in increasing cortical excitability.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuyuki Takamatsu ◽  
Satoko Koganemaru ◽  
Tatsunori Watanabe ◽  
Sumiya Shibata ◽  
Yoshihiro Yukawa ◽  
...  

AbstractTranscranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS) has been focused as a new non-invasive brain stimulation, which can suppress the human cortical excitability just below the magnet. However, the non-regional effects of tSMS via brain network have been rarely studied so far. We investigated whether tSMS over the left primary motor cortex (M1) can facilitate the right M1 in healthy subjects, based on the hypothesis that the functional suppression of M1 can cause the paradoxical functional facilitation of the contralateral M1 via the reduction of interhemispheric inhibition (IHI) between the bilateral M1. This study was double-blind crossover trial. We measured the corticospinal excitability in both M1 and IHI from the left to right M1 by recording motor evoked potentials from first dorsal interosseous muscles using single-pulse and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation before and after the tSMS intervention for 30 min. We found that the corticospinal excitability of the left M1 decreased, while that of the right M1 increased after tSMS. Moreover, the evaluation of IHI revealed the reduced inhibition from the left to the right M1. Our findings provide new insights on the mechanistic understanding of neuromodulatory effects of tSMS in human.


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