Effect of tDCS stimulation of motor cortex and cerebellum on EEG classification of motor imagery and sensorimotor band power.
Irma N Angulo-Sherman, Marisol Rodríguez-Ugarte, Nadia Sciacca and 2 others
PMID 28420382WHAT IT FOUND
Only hand-area stimulation before EEG looked like it improved detection of imagined hand movement in five healthy volunteers, about 10% for four of five; feet stimulation and stimulation during recording did not.
Key findings
01In twelve sessions across five healthy volunteers, four current density levels were tested, and only the 10-minute hand-area stimulation before EEG showed a possible accuracy benefit, at the maximum current, 188 μA.
02For right-hand motor imagery, four of five volunteers showed about 10% accuracy improvement with that stimulation, while the remaining volunteer did not.
03No current density improved feet motor imagery detection for most subjects, and brief stimulation during EEG showed no favorable accuracy trends.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study included only healthy volunteers, so it does not show effects in stroke patients or people receiving rehabilitation. The sample was very small, so individual variability may explain the result. The current density calculation may have been inaccurate for the small electrodes. The brief stimulation protocol required long waits and was judged impractical for further evaluation. The EEG power changes did not explain the accuracy changes. There was no comparison with a simpler motor-cortex montage.
Declared interests
Funding came from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund. The supplied text does not report a commercial sponsor or author conflict-of-interest declaration.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that tDCS improves walking, hand movement, or stroke rehabilitation. It tested five healthy volunteers and only imagined movement detection on EEG, not clinical motor performance.