title: Transcranial cerebellar direct current stimulation (tcDCS): motor control, cognition, learning and emotions.
abstract: The neurological manifestations of cerebellar diseases range from motor to cognitive or behavioral abnormalities. Experimental data in healthy subjects extend the cerebellar role to learning, emotional and mood control. The need for a non-invasive tool to influence cerebellar function in normal and pathological conditions led researchers to develop transcranial cerebellar direct current stimulation (tcDCS). tcDCS, like tDCS, depends on the principle that weak direct currents delivered at around 2mA for minutes over the cerebellum through surface electrodes induce prolonged changes in cerebellar function. tcDCS modulates several cerebellar skills in humans including motor control, learning and emotional processing. tcDCS also influences the cerebello-brain interactions induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), walking adaptation, working memory and emotional recognition. Hence tcDCS is a simple physiological tool that can improve our physiological understanding of the human cerebellum, and should prove useful also in patients with cerebellar dysfunction or psychiatric disorders and those undergoing neurorehabilitation to enhance neuroplasticity.
authors.affiliation: Centro Clinico per la Neurostimolazione, le Neurotecnologie ed i Disordini del Movimento, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milano, Italy; Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia Medico-Chirurgica e dei Trapianti, via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milano, Italy. Electronic address: roberta.ferrucci@policlinico.mi.it.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Priori
mesh_terms: D002531:Cerebellum / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000502:physiology
keywords: CBI; CBI recruitment curve; CBIRC; Cerebellar stimulation; Cerebellum; DLPC; LTP; Neuroenhancement; PAS; SRRT; TMS; VAS; cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation; cerebello-brain inhibition; dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex; long-term potentiation; mSI; motor surround inhibition; paired associative stimulation; serial reaction time task; tDCS; tcDCS; transcranial direct current stimulation; transcranial magnetic stimulation; visual analog scale