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Title: | Optimizing the Effect of tDCS on Motor Sequence Learning in the Elderly | Authors: | GHASEMIAN SHIRVAN, Ensiyeh Ungureanu, Ruxandra Melo, Lorena VAN DUN, Kim Kuo, Min-Fang Nitsche, Michael A. MEESEN, Raf |
Issue Date: | 2023 | Publisher: | MDPI | Source: | Brain Sciences, 13 (1) (Art N° 137) | Abstract: | One of the most visible effects of aging, even in healthy, normal aging, is a decline in motor performance. The range of strategies applicable to counteract this deterioration has increased. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that can promote neuroplasticity, has recently gained attention. However, knowledge about optimized tDCS parameters in the elderly is limited. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of different anodal tDCS intensities on motor sequence learning in the elderly. Over the course of four sessions, 25 healthy older adults (over 65 years old) completed the Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT) while receiving 1, 2, or 3 mA of anodal or sham stimulation over the primary motor cortex (M1). Additionally, 24 h after stimulation, motor memory consolidation was assessed. The results confirmed that motor sequence learning in all tDCS conditions was maintained the following day. While increased anodal stimulation intensity over M1 showed longer lasting excitability enhancement in the elderly in a prior study, the combination of higher intensity stimulation with an implicit motor learning task showed no significant effect. Future research should focus on the reason behind this lack of effect and probe alternative stimulation protocols. | Notes: | Meesen, RLJ (corresponding author), Hasselt Univ, Fac Rehabil Sci, REVAL Rehabil Res Ctr, Neuroplast & Movement Control Res Grp,REVAL, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.; Meesen, RLJ (corresponding author), Katholieke Univ Leuven, Dept Movement Sci, Movement Control & Neuroplast Res Grp, Grp Biomed Sci, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. raf.meesen@uhasselt.be |
Keywords: | tDCS;implicit motor learning;neuroplasticity;healthy aging | Document URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1942/39443 | e-ISSN: | 2076-3425 | DOI: | 10.3390/brainsci13010137 | ISI #: | 000914621500001 | Rights: | 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/) | Category: | A1 | Type: | Journal Contribution |
Appears in Collections: | Research publications |
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Optimizing the Effect of tDCS on Motor Sequence Learning in the Elderly.pdf | Published version | 1.59 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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