Concurrent tDCS and Mirror Feedback has additive effects on M1 excitability

Mirror visual feedback (MVF) has been shown to aid recovery of movement after stroke, potentially by facilitating sensorimotor areas contralateral to the mirror-reflected hand. Similarly, non-invasive brain stimulation, such as transcranial direct stimulation (tDCS), can boost excitability of the motor cortex (M1) and aid recovery. Here we test if combining the two approaches concurrently will yield synergistic effects on M1 excitability compared to either approach alone. Four healthy subjects each performed 4 sessions of goal-oriented right finger movements in a virtual environment while receiving either MVF or veridical feedback, and either anodal tDCS (2mA, 10min) or sham stimulation (2mA, 10seconds) applied to the sensorimotor cortex ipsilateral to the moving hand.
Source: BRAIN STIMULATION: Basic, Translational, and Clinical Research in Neuromodulation - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research