TY - JOUR
T1 - Dual-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation improves performance in a tactile spatial discrimination task
AU - Fujimoto, Shuhei
AU - Yamaguchi, Tomofumi
AU - Otaka, Yohei
AU - Kondo, Kunitsugu
AU - Tanaka, Satoshi
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by grants from the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (KAKENHI 24680061) and Funds for the Development of Human Resources in Science and Technology to Satoshi Tanaka. We thank Dr. Rieko Osu and Dr. Norihiro Sadato for technical help in this study.
PY - 2014/8
Y1 - 2014/8
N2 - Objective: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that dual-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) could improve performance in a tactile spatial discriminative task, compared with uni-hemisphere or sham tDCS. Methods: Nine healthy adults participated in this double-blind, sham-controlled, and cross-over design study. The performance in a grating orientation task (GOT) in the right index finger was evaluated before, during, immediately after and 30. min after the dual-hemisphere, uni-hemisphere (1. mA, 20. min), or sham tDCS (1. mA, 30. s) over S1. In the dual-hemisphere and sham conditions, anodal tDCS was applied over the left S1, and cathodal tDCS was applied over the right S1. In the uni-hemisphere condition, anodal tDCS was applied over the left S1, and cathodal tDCS was applied over the contralateral supraorbital front. Results: The percentage of correct responses on the GOT during dual-hemisphere tDCS was significantly higher than that in the uni-hemisphere or sham tDCS conditions when the grating width was set to 0.75. mm (all p<. 0.05). Conclusions: Dual-hemisphere tDCS over S1 improved performance in a tactile spatial discrimination task in healthy volunteers. Significance: Dual-hemisphere tDCS may be a useful strategy to improve sensory function in patients with sensory dysfunctions.
AB - Objective: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that dual-hemisphere transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) could improve performance in a tactile spatial discriminative task, compared with uni-hemisphere or sham tDCS. Methods: Nine healthy adults participated in this double-blind, sham-controlled, and cross-over design study. The performance in a grating orientation task (GOT) in the right index finger was evaluated before, during, immediately after and 30. min after the dual-hemisphere, uni-hemisphere (1. mA, 20. min), or sham tDCS (1. mA, 30. s) over S1. In the dual-hemisphere and sham conditions, anodal tDCS was applied over the left S1, and cathodal tDCS was applied over the right S1. In the uni-hemisphere condition, anodal tDCS was applied over the left S1, and cathodal tDCS was applied over the contralateral supraorbital front. Results: The percentage of correct responses on the GOT during dual-hemisphere tDCS was significantly higher than that in the uni-hemisphere or sham tDCS conditions when the grating width was set to 0.75. mm (all p<. 0.05). Conclusions: Dual-hemisphere tDCS over S1 improved performance in a tactile spatial discrimination task in healthy volunteers. Significance: Dual-hemisphere tDCS may be a useful strategy to improve sensory function in patients with sensory dysfunctions.
KW - Cortical plasticity
KW - Inter-hemispheric inhibition (IHI)
KW - Somatosensory cortex
KW - Tactile
KW - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
KW - Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
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U2 - 10.1016/j.clinph.2013.12.100
DO - 10.1016/j.clinph.2013.12.100
M3 - Article
C2 - 24411524
AN - SCOPUS:84904056626
SN - 1388-2457
VL - 125
SP - 1669
EP - 1674
JO - Clinical Neurophysiology
JF - Clinical Neurophysiology
IS - 8
ER -