title: Sustained excitability elevations induced by transcranial DC motor cortex stimulation in humans.
abstract: The authors show that in the human transcranial direct current stimulation is able to induce sustained cortical excitability elevations. As revealed by transcranial magnetic stimulation, motor cortical excitability increased approximately 150% above baseline for up to 90 minutes after the end of stimulation. The feasibility of inducing long-lasting excitability modulations in a noninvasive, painless, and reversible way makes this technique a potentially valuable tool in neuroplasticity modulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Goettingen, Germany.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nitsche
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Paulus
mesh_terms: D001931:Brain Mapping; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy; D004569:Electroencephalography; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*