Timing-specific effects of single-session M1 anodal tDCS on motor sequence retention in healthy older adults
Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may assist in counteracting age-related decline in cognitive and motor functions. The current study investigated the potential impact of anodal tDCS, and the timing of its application, in mitigating age-related deficits in motor sequence learning...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Neuroimage: Reports |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666956021000076 |
| _version_ | 1819137164445745152 |
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| author | Rohan Puri Mark R. Hinder Melanie Krüger Jeffery J. Summers |
| author_facet | Rohan Puri Mark R. Hinder Melanie Krüger Jeffery J. Summers |
| author_sort | Rohan Puri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may assist in counteracting age-related decline in cognitive and motor functions. The current study investigated the potential impact of anodal tDCS, and the timing of its application, in mitigating age-related deficits in motor sequence learning.Forty-eight healthy older adults received, over the primary motor cortex (M1), tDCS – anodal and sham at least 1 week apart – before, during or after an explicit sequence-learning task with electrophysiological measures of corticospinal excitability (CSE) and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) also obtained.Bayesian analyses revealed no generalised benefit of anodal tDCS to motor acquisition and immediate retention. Furthermore, there was not enough evidence to support timing-specific stimulation differences on performance during acquisition and immediate retention. However, performance at delayed retention – measured 24 h after acquisition – was worse in the anodal (13.1%) than sham (17.6%) tDCS session for the group receiving tDCS during sequence acquisition, but not before (anodal: 18.4%; sham: 16.7%) or after (anodal: 18.5%; sham: 16.3%) it. No corresponding task-specific stimulation-based changes in CSE and SICI were observed.Thus, single-session M1 anodal tDCS in healthy older adults not only proved ineffective in facilitating sequence acquisition and immediate retention but also, when administered during sequence learning, proved detrimental to delayed retention. Overall, these null and negative results may have implications for the use of tDCS in clinical and rehabilitative settings, especially in the elderly. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T10:46:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-efeef3b230a34a90bad7bebf6f383acd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-9560 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T10:46:31Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Neuroimage: Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-efeef3b230a34a90bad7bebf6f383acd2022-12-21T18:28:55ZengElsevierNeuroimage: Reports2666-95602021-03-0111100009Timing-specific effects of single-session M1 anodal tDCS on motor sequence retention in healthy older adultsRohan Puri0Mark R. Hinder1Melanie Krüger2Jeffery J. Summers3Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Research Group, School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia; Corresponding author. Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Research Group, Private Bag 30, School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia.Sensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Research Group, School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, AustraliaSports and Cognition Group, Institute of Sports Science, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, GermanySensorimotor Neuroscience and Ageing Research Group, School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia; Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UKAnodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may assist in counteracting age-related decline in cognitive and motor functions. The current study investigated the potential impact of anodal tDCS, and the timing of its application, in mitigating age-related deficits in motor sequence learning.Forty-eight healthy older adults received, over the primary motor cortex (M1), tDCS – anodal and sham at least 1 week apart – before, during or after an explicit sequence-learning task with electrophysiological measures of corticospinal excitability (CSE) and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) also obtained.Bayesian analyses revealed no generalised benefit of anodal tDCS to motor acquisition and immediate retention. Furthermore, there was not enough evidence to support timing-specific stimulation differences on performance during acquisition and immediate retention. However, performance at delayed retention – measured 24 h after acquisition – was worse in the anodal (13.1%) than sham (17.6%) tDCS session for the group receiving tDCS during sequence acquisition, but not before (anodal: 18.4%; sham: 16.7%) or after (anodal: 18.5%; sham: 16.3%) it. No corresponding task-specific stimulation-based changes in CSE and SICI were observed.Thus, single-session M1 anodal tDCS in healthy older adults not only proved ineffective in facilitating sequence acquisition and immediate retention but also, when administered during sequence learning, proved detrimental to delayed retention. Overall, these null and negative results may have implications for the use of tDCS in clinical and rehabilitative settings, especially in the elderly.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666956021000076transcranial direct current stimulationTranscranial magnetic stimulationMotor learningAgingNullBayes |
| spellingShingle | Rohan Puri Mark R. Hinder Melanie Krüger Jeffery J. Summers Timing-specific effects of single-session M1 anodal tDCS on motor sequence retention in healthy older adults Neuroimage: Reports transcranial direct current stimulation Transcranial magnetic stimulation Motor learning Aging Null Bayes |
| title | Timing-specific effects of single-session M1 anodal tDCS on motor sequence retention in healthy older adults |
| title_full | Timing-specific effects of single-session M1 anodal tDCS on motor sequence retention in healthy older adults |
| title_fullStr | Timing-specific effects of single-session M1 anodal tDCS on motor sequence retention in healthy older adults |
| title_full_unstemmed | Timing-specific effects of single-session M1 anodal tDCS on motor sequence retention in healthy older adults |
| title_short | Timing-specific effects of single-session M1 anodal tDCS on motor sequence retention in healthy older adults |
| title_sort | timing specific effects of single session m1 anodal tdcs on motor sequence retention in healthy older adults |
| topic | transcranial direct current stimulation Transcranial magnetic stimulation Motor learning Aging Null Bayes |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666956021000076 |
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