Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on posture, movement planning, and execution during standing voluntary reach following stroke

Abstract Background Impaired movement preparation of both anticipatory postural adjustments and goal directed movement as shown by a marked reduction in the incidence of StartReact responses during a standing reaching task was reported in individuals with stroke. We tested how transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the region of premotor areas (PMAs) and primary motor area (M1) affect movement planning and preparation of a standing reaching task in individuals with stroke. Methods Each subject performed two sessions of tDCS over the lesioned hemisphere on two different days: cathodal tDCS over PMAs and anodal tDCS over M1. Movement planning and preparation of anticipatory postural adjustment-reach sequence was examined by startReact responses elicited by a loud acoustic stimulus of 123 dB. Kinetic, kinematic, and electromyography data were recorded to characterize anticipatory postural adjustment-reach movement response. Results Anodal tDCS over M1 led to significant increase of startReact responses incidence at loud acoustic stimulus time point − 500 ms. Increased trunk involvement during movement execution was found after anodal M1 stimulation compared to PMAs stimulation. Conclusions The findings provide novel evidence that impairments in movement planning and preparation as measured by startReact responses for a standing reaching task can be mitigated in individuals with stroke by the application of anodal tDCS over lesioned M1 but not cathodal tDCS over PMAs. This is the first study to show that stroke-related deficits in movement planning and preparation can be improved by application of anodal tDCS over lesioned M1. Trial registration ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT04308629, Registered 16 March 2020—Retrospectively registered, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04308629

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Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on posture, movement planning, and execution during standing voluntary reach following stroke

10.21203/rs.3.rs-37884/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Chieh-ling Yang ◽

Alon Gad ◽

Robert A. Creath ◽

Laurence Magder ◽

Mark W. Rogers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Acoustic Stimulus ◽

Movement Planning ◽

Postural Adjustment ◽

Anodal Tdcs ◽

Anticipatory Postural Adjustment ◽

Reaching Task ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Cathodal Tdcs

Abstract Background: Impaired movement preparation of both anticipatory postural adjustments and goal directed movement as shown by a marked reduction in the incidence of StartReact responses during a standing reaching task was reported in individuals with stroke. We tested how transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the region of premotor areas (PMAs) and primary motor area (M1) affect movement planning and preparation of a standing reaching task in individuals with stroke. Methods: Each subject performed two sessions of tDCS over the lesioned hemisphere on two different days: cathodal tDCS over PMAs and anodal tDCS over M1. Movement planning and preparation of anticipatory postural adjustment-reach sequence was examined by startReact responses elicited by a loud acoustic stimulus of 123 dB. Kinetic, kinematic, and electromyography data were recorded to characterize anticipatory postural adjustment-reach movement response. Results: Anodal tDCS over M1 led to significant increase of startReact responses incidence at loud acoustic stimulus time point – 500 ms. Increased trunk involvement during movement execution was found after anodal M1 stimulation compared to PMAs stimulation. Conclusions: The findings provide novel evidence that impairments in movement planning and preparation as measured by startReact responses for a standing reaching task can be mitigated in individuals with stroke by the application of anodal tDCS over lesioned M1 but not cathodal tDCS over PMAs. This is the first study to show that stroke-related deficits in movement planning and preparation can be improved by application of anodal tDCS over lesioned M1.Trial registration: ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT04308629, Registered 16 March 2020 - Retrospectively registered, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04308629.

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Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Posture, Movement Planning, and Execution During Standing Voluntary Reach Following Stroke

10.21203/rs.3.rs-37884/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Chieh-ling Yang ◽

Alon Gad ◽

Robert A. Creath ◽

Laurence Magder ◽

Mark W. Rogers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Acoustic Stimulus ◽

Movement Planning ◽

Postural Adjustment ◽

Anodal Tdcs ◽

Anticipatory Postural Adjustment ◽

Reaching Task ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Cathodal Tdcs

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Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Left Dorsolateral pFC on the Attentional Blink Depend on Individual Baseline Performance

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience ◽

10.1162/jocn_a_00867 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 27 (12) ◽

pp. 2382-2393 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Raquel E. London ◽

Heleen A. Slagter

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Attentional Blink ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Critical Role ◽

Anodal Tdcs ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Cathodal Tdcs ◽

Left Dlpfc

Selection mechanisms that dynamically gate only relevant perceptual information for further processing and sustained representation in working memory are critical for goal-directed behavior. We examined whether this gating process can be modulated by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over left dorsolateral pFC (DLPFC)—a region known to play a key role in working memory and conscious access. Specifically, we examined the effects of tDCS on the magnitude of the so-called “attentional blink” (AB), a deficit in identifying the second of two targets presented in rapid succession. Thirty-four participants performed a standard AB task before (baseline), during, and after 20 min of 1-mA anodal and cathodal tDCS in two separate sessions. On the basis of previous reports linking individual differences in AB magnitude to individual differences in DLPFC activity and on suggestions that effects of tDCS depend on baseline brain activity levels, we hypothesized that anodal tDCS over left DLPFC would modulate the magnitude of the AB as a function of individual baseline AB magnitude. Indeed, individual differences analyses revealed that anodal tDCS decreased the AB in participants with a large baseline AB but increased the AB in participants with a small baseline AB. This effect was only observed during (but not after) stimulation, was not found for cathodal tDCS, and could not be explained by regression to the mean. Notably, the effects of tDCS were not apparent at the group level, highlighting the importance of taking individual variability in performance into account when evaluating the effectiveness of tDCS. These findings support the idea that left DLPFC plays a critical role in the AB and in conscious access more generally. They are also in line with the notion that there is an optimal level of prefrontal activity for cognitive function, with both too little and too much activity hurting performance.

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Transcranial direct current stimulation effects on I-wave activity in humans

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00617.2010 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 105 (6) ◽

pp. 2802-2810 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Nicolas Lang ◽

Michael A. Nitsche ◽

Michele Dileone ◽

Paolo Mazzone ◽

Javier De Andrés-Arés ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Cortical Neurons ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Motor Evoked Potential ◽

Anodal Tdcs ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Cathodal Tdcs ◽

Motor Cortex Excitability

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the human cerebral cortex modulates cortical excitability noninvasively in a polarity-specific manner: anodal tDCS leads to lasting facilitation and cathodal tDCS to inhibition of motor cortex excitability. To further elucidate the underlying physiological mechanisms, we recorded corticospinal volleys evoked by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation of the primary motor cortex before and after a 5-min period of anodal or cathodal tDCS in eight conscious patients who had electrodes implanted in the cervical epidural space for the control of pain. The effects of anodal tDCS were evaluated in six subjects and the effects of cathodal tDCS in five subjects. Three subjects were studied with both polarities. Anodal tDCS increased the excitability of cortical circuits generating I waves in the corticospinal system, including the earliest wave (I1 wave), whereas cathodal tDCS suppressed later I waves. The motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude changes immediately following tDCS periods were in agreement with the effects produced on intracortical circuitry. The results deliver additional evidence that tDCS changes the excitability of cortical neurons.

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Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation applied over the supplementary motor area delays spontaneous antiphase-to-in-phase transitions

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00662.2014 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 113 (3) ◽

pp. 780-785 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Michael J. Carter ◽

Dana Maslovat ◽

Anthony N. Carlsen

Keyword(s):

Phase Transitions ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Oscillation Frequency ◽

Supplementary Motor Area ◽

Motor Area ◽

Coordination Pattern ◽

Anodal Tdcs ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Cathodal Tdcs

Coordinated bimanual oscillatory movements often involve one of two intrinsically stable phasing relationships characterized as in-phase (symmetrical) or antiphase (asymmetrical). The in-phase mode is typically more stable than antiphase, and if movement frequency is increasing during antiphase movements, a spontaneous transition to the in-phase pattern occurs. There is converging neurophysiological evidence that the supplementary motor area (SMA) plays a critical role in the successful performance of these patterns, especially during antiphase movements. We investigated whether modulating the excitability of the SMA via offline transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) would delay the onset of anti-to-in-phase transitions. Participants completed two sessions (separated by ∼48 h), each consisting of a pre- and post-tDCS block in which they performed metronome-paced trials of rhythmic in- and antiphase bimanual supination-pronation movements as target oscillation frequency was systematically increased. Anodal or cathodal tDCS was applied over the SMA between the pre- and post-tDCS blocks in each session. Following anodal tDCS, participants performed the antiphase pattern with increased accuracy and stability and were able to maintain the coordination pattern at a higher oscillation frequency. Antiphase performance was unchanged following cathodal tDCS, and neither tDCS polarity affected the in-phase mode. Our findings suggest increased SMA excitability induced by anodal tDCS can improve antiphase performance and adds to the accumulating evidence of the pivotal role of the SMA in interlimb coordination.

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Visual Cortex Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Patients: A Double-Blinded Randomized Exploratory Trial

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11020270 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 270

Author(s):

Angelito Braulio F. de Venecia ◽

Shane M. Fresnoza

Keyword(s):

Diabetic Retinopathy ◽

Visual Cortex ◽

Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Vision Loss ◽

Sham Stimulation ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Residual Vision ◽

Cathodal Tdcs

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is a severe complication of diabetes. PDR-related retinal hemorrhages often lead to severe vision loss. The main goals of management are to prevent visual impairment progression and improve residual vision. We explored the potential of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to enhance residual vision. tDCS applied to the primary visual cortex (V1) may improve visual input processing from PDR patients’ retinas. Eleven PDR patients received cathodal tDCS stimulation of V1 (1 mA for 10 min), and another eleven patients received sham stimulation (1 mA for 30 s). Visual acuity (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) scores) and number acuity (reaction times (RTs) and accuracy rates (ARs)) were measured before and immediately after stimulation. The LogMAR scores and the RTs of patients who received cathodal tDCS decreased significantly after stimulation. Cathodal tDCS has no significant effect on ARs. There were no significant changes in the LogMAR scores, RTs, and ARs of PDR patients who received sham stimulation. The results are compatible with our proposal that neuronal noise aggravates impaired visual function in PDR. The therapeutic effect indicates the potential of tDCS as a safe and effective vision rehabilitation tool for PDR patients.

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Tagging motor memories with transcranial direct current stimulation allows later artificially-controlled retrieval

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.15378 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Daichi Nozaki ◽

Atsushi Yokoi ◽

Takahiro Kimura ◽

Masaya Hirashima ◽

Jean-Jacques Orban de Xivry

Keyword(s):

Direct Current ◽

Sensorimotor Cortex ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Background Activity ◽

Training Session ◽

Motor Memory ◽

Activity Levels ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Cathodal Tdcs ◽

Human Motor

We demonstrate that human motor memories can be artificially tagged and later retrieved by noninvasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Participants learned to adapt reaching movements to two conflicting dynamical environments that were each associated with a different tDCS polarity (anodal or cathodal tDCS) on the sensorimotor cortex. That is, we sought to determine whether divergent background activity levels within the sensorimotor cortex (anodal: higher activity; cathodal: lower activity) give rise to distinct motor memories. After a training session, application of each tDCS polarity automatically resulted in the retrieval of the motor memory corresponding to that polarity. These results reveal that artificial modulation of neural activity in the sensorimotor cortex through tDCS can act as a context for the formation and recollection of motor memories.

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Effect of Different Intensities of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Postural Response to External Perturbation in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease

Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair ◽

10.1177/1545968320962513 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (11) ◽

pp. 1009-1019

Author(s):

Victor Spiandor Beretta ◽

Rodrigo Vitório ◽

Priscila Nóbrega-Sousa ◽

Núbia Ribeiro Conceição ◽

Diego Orcioli-Silva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

External Perturbation ◽

Cortical Activity ◽

Anodal Tdcs ◽

Postural Response ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Sham Condition

Background Habituation of postural response to perturbations is impaired in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) due to deficits in cortico-basal pathways. Although transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulate cortico-basal networks, it remains unclear if it can benefit postural control in PD. Objective To analyze the effect of different intensities of anodal tDCS on postural responses and prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity during the habituation to the external perturbation in patients with PD (n = 24). Methods Anodal tDCS was applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) with 1 mA, 2 mA, and sham stimulation in 3 different sessions (~2 weeks apart) during 20 minutes immediately before the postural assessment. External perturbation (7 trials) was applied by a support base posterior translation (20 cm/s and 5 cm). Primary outcome measures included lower limb electromyography and center of pressure parameters. Measures of PFC activity are reported as exploratory outcomes. Analyses of variance (Stimulation Condition × Trial) were performed. Results Habituation of perturbation was evidenced independent of the stimulation conditions. Both active stimulation intensities had shorter recovery time and a trend for lower cortical activity in the stimulated hemisphere when compared to sham condition. Shorter onset latency of the medial gastrocnemius as well as lower cortical activity in the nonstimulated hemisphere were only observed after 2 mA concerning the sham condition. Conclusions tDCS over M1 improved the postural response to external perturbation in PD, with better response observed for 2 mA compared with 1 mA. However, tDCS seems to be inefficient in modifying the habituation of perturbation.

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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Unilateral Cerebral Palsy: A Pilot Study of Motor Effect

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2019/2184398 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Emanuela Inguaggiato ◽

Nadia Bolognini ◽

Simona Fiori ◽

Giovanni Cioni

Keyword(s):

Cerebral Palsy ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Upper Limb ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Anodal Tdcs ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is an emerging tool to improve upper limb motor functions after stroke acquired in adulthood; however, there is a paucity of reports on its efficacy for upper limb motor rehabilitation in congenital or early-acquired stroke. In this pilot study we have explored, for the first time, the immediate effects, and their short-term persistence, of a single application of anodal tDCS on chronic upper limb motor disorders in children and young individuals with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy (UCP). To this aim, in a crossover sham-controlled study, eight subjects aged 10-28 years with UCP underwent two sessions of active and sham tDCS. Anodal tDCS (1.5 mA, 20 min) was delivered over the primary motor cortex (M1) of the ipsilesional hemisphere. Results showed, only following the active stimulation, an immediate improvement in unimanual gross motor dexterity of hemiplegic, but not of nonhemiplegic, hand in Box and Block test (BBT). Such improvement remained stable for at least 90 minutes. Performance of both hands in Hand Grip Strength test was not modified by anodal tDCS. Improvement in BBT was unrelated to participants’ age or lesion size, as revealed by MRI data analysis. No serious adverse effects occurred after tDCS; some mild and transient side effects (e.g., headache, tingling, and itchiness) were reported in a limited number of cases. This study provides an innovative contribution to scientific literature on the efficacy and safety of anodal tDCS in UCP. This trial is registered with NCT03137940.

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Verbal Fluency in Mild Alzheimer’s Disease: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

Journal of Alzheimer s Disease ◽

10.3233/jad-210003 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Daniela Smirni ◽

Massimiliano Oliveri ◽

Eliana Misuraca ◽

Angela Catania ◽

Laura Vernuccio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Verbal Fluency ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽

Control Group ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Cathodal Tdcs ◽

Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽

The Right

Background: Recent studies showed that in healthy controls and in aphasic patients, inhibitory trains of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the right prefrontal cortex can improve phonemic fluency performance, while anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left prefrontal cortex can improve performance in naming and semantic fluency tasks. Objective: This study aimed at investigating the effects of cathodal tDCS over the left or the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on verbal fluency tasks (VFT) in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: Forty mild AD patients participated in the study (mean age 73.17±5.61 years). All participants underwent cognitive baseline tasks and a VFT twice. Twenty patients randomly received cathodal tDCS to the left or the right DLPFC, and twenty patients were assigned to a control group in which only the two measures of VFT were taken, without the administration of the tDCS. Results: A significant improvement of performance on the VFT in AD patients was present after tDCS over the right DLPFC (p = 0.001). Instead, no difference was detected between the two VFTs sessions after tDCS over the left DLPFC (p = 0.42). Furthermore, these results cannot be related to task learning effects, since no significant difference was found between the two VFT sessions in the control group (p = 0.73). Conclusion: These data suggest that tDCS over DLPFC can improve VFT performance in AD patients. A hypothesis is that tDCS enhances adaptive patterns of brain activity between functionally connected areas.

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