Preconditioning tDCS facilitates subsequent tDCS effect on skill acquisition in older adults.
Fujiyama HAction and Cognition Laboratory, School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia; Motor Control Laboratory, KU Leuven, Research Center of Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: H.Fujiyama@murdoch.edu.au.
Hinder MRHuman Motor Control Laboratory, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
Barzideh AMotor Control Laboratory, KU Leuven, Research Center of Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, Leuven, Belgium.
Van de Vijver CMotor Control Laboratory, KU Leuven, Research Center of Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, Leuven, Belgium.
Badache ACMotor Control Laboratory, KU Leuven, Research Center of Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, Leuven, Belgium.
Manrique-C MNMotor Control Laboratory, KU Leuven, Research Center of Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, Leuven, Belgium.
Reissig PHuman Motor Control Laboratory, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
Zhang XNeural Control of Movement Laboratory, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland.
Levin OMotor Control Laboratory, KU Leuven, Research Center of Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, Leuven, Belgium.
Summers JJHuman Motor Control Laboratory, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia; Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
Swinnen SPMotor Control Laboratory, KU Leuven, Research Center of Movement Control and Neuroplasticity, Group Biomedical Sciences, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Leuven Research Institute for Neuroscience & Disease (LIND), Leuven, Belgium.
English
Functional motor declines that often occur with advancing age-including reduced efficacy to learn new skills-can have a substantial impact on the quality of life. Recent studies using noninvasive brain stimulation indicate that priming the corticospinal system by lowering the threshold for the induction of long-term potentiation-like plasticity before skill training may facilitate subsequent skill learning. Here, we used "priming" protocol, in which we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applying the cathode over the primary motor cortex (M1) before the anode placed over M1 during unimanual isometric force control training (FORCEtraining). Older individuals who received tDCS with the cathode placed over M1 before tDCS with the anode placed over M1 concurrent with FORCEtraining showed greater skill improvement and corticospinal excitability increases following the tDCS/FORCEtraining protocol compared with both young and older individuals who did not receive the preceding tDCS with the cathode placed over M1. The results suggested that priming tDCS protocols may be used in clinical settings to improve motor function and thus maintain the functional independence of older adults.