title: Improving motor performance without training: the effect of combining mirror visual feedback with transcranial direct current stimulation.
abstract: Mirror visual feedback (MVF) during motor training has been shown to improve motor performance of the untrained hand. Here we thought to determine if MVF-induced performance improvements of the left hand can be augmented by upregulating plasticity in right primary motor cortex (M1) by means of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) while subjects trained with the right hand. Participants performed a ball-rotation task with either their left (untrained) or right (trained) hand on two consecutive days (days 1 and 2). During training with the right hand, MVF was provided concurrent with two tDCS conditions: group 1 received a-tDCS over right M1 (n = 10), whereas group 2 received sham tDCS (s-tDCS, n = 10). On day 2, performance was reevaluated under the same experimental conditions compared with day 1 but without tDCS. While baseline performance of the left hand (day 1) was not different between groups, a-tDCS exhibited stronger MVF-induced performance improvements compared with s-tDCS. Similar results were observed for day 2 (without tDCS application). A control experiment (n = 8) with a-tDCS over right M1 as outlined above but without MVF revealed that left hand improvement was significantly less pronounced than that induced by combined a-tDCS and MVF. Based on these results, we provide novel evidence that upregulating activity in the untrained M1 by means of a-tDCS is capable of augmenting MVF-induced performance improvements in young normal volunteers. Our findings suggest that concurrent MVF and tDCS might have synergistic and additive effects on motor performance of the untrained hand, a result of relevance for clinical approaches in neurorehabilitation and/or exercise science.
authors: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and.
authors: Erik
authors: E
authors: von Rein
authors: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and.
authors: Maike
authors: M
authors: Hoff
authors: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and.
authors: Elisabeth
authors: E
authors: Kaminski
authors: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and.
authors: Bernhard
authors: B
authors: Sehm
authors: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and.
authors: Christopher J
authors: CJ
authors: Steele
authors: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and Mind and Brain Institute, Charité and Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
authors: Arno
authors: A
authors: Villringer
authors: Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; and ragert@cbs.mpg.de.
authors: Patrick
authors: P
authors: Ragert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D056228:Feedback, Sensory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions / Q000502:physiology*; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: mirror visual feedback; motor learning; primary motor cortex; transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
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