title: Enhancement of pinch force in the lower leg by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation.
abstract: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a procedure to polarize human brain. It has been reported that tDCS over the hand motor cortex transiently improves the performance of hand motor tasks. Here, we investigated whether tDCS could also improve leg motor functions. Ten healthy subjects performed pinch force (PF) and reaction time (RT) tasks using the left leg before, during and after anodal, cathodal or sham tDCS over the leg motor cortex. The anodal tDCS transiently enhanced the maximal leg PF but not RT during its application. Neither cathodal nor sham stimulation changed the performance. None of the interventions affected hand PF or RT, showing the spatial specificity of the effect of tDCS. These results indicate that motor performance of not only the hands but also the legs can be enhanced by anodal tDCS. tDCS may be applicable to the neuro-rehabilitation of patients with leg motor disability.
authors.affiliation: ERATO Shimojo Implicit Brain Function Project, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Atsugi, Kanagawa, 243-0198, Japan. tanaka@fennel.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hanakawa
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001703:Biophysics; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D004566:Electrodes; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation; D006801:Humans; D007866:Leg / Q000294:innervation*; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D052581:Pinch Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult