A technical guide to tDCS, and related non-invasive brain stimulation tools

Woods, Adam J.; Antal, Andrea; Bikson, Marom; Boggio, Paulo S.; Brunoni, André R.; Celnik, Pablo; Cohen, Leonardo G.; Fregni, Felipe; Herrmann, Christoph S.; Kappenman, Emily S.; Knotková, Helena; Liebetanz, David; Miniussi, Carlo; Miranda, Pedro C.; Paulus, Walter; Reato, Davide; Stagg, Charlotte J.; Wenderoth, Nicole; Nitsche, Michael A.

doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2015.11.012

Cited by 1,078 publications

(915 citation statements)

References 215 publications

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“…Modifications made to the montage used here (cathode placed over contralateral supraorbital location) to an alternative montage with extracephalic cathode location (ipsilateral shoulder) resulted in reduced effects of stimulation . In agreement with modeling predictions, this finding suggests that the montage configuration is the primary determinant of the applied current density distribution, and plays an important role in resulting behavioral effects (Bestmann, 2015;de Berker, Bikson, & Bestmann, 2013;Woods et al, 2016). Finally, anodal tDCS applied over the cerebellum increased skill learning in this task through the enhancement of online as opposed to offline components.…”

Section: Offline Motor Skill Learning and Retentionsupporting

confidence: 65%

“…In some cases, montages with electrodes positioned over PMd or the cerebellum have also been used, with cerebellum montages primarily used in relation to adaptation learning (Table 1). While tDCS electrodes have been placed overlying specific scalp locations, it should not be assumed that the underlying brain region is partially, specifically or selectively stimulated (Woods et al, 2016). Additionally, tDCS can modulate different stages of learning, best tested over multiple days.…”

Section: Motor Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been argued that rTMS and tDCS can either enhance or decrease excitability in targeted cortical regions depending on the parameters of stimulation employed (Chen et al, 1997;Galea, Jayaram, Ajagbe, & Celnik, 2009;Labruna et al, 2016;Woods et al, 2016) and the underlying intrinsic state of the stimulated brain networks (Dayan, Censor, Buch, Sandrini, & Cohen, 2013;Sandrini, Umilta, & Rusconi, 2011). tDCS has also been used as a tool to gain insight into brain-behavior interactions and to explore possible causal relationships between altered activity in relatively large regions of the brain and particular behaviors .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of tDCS on motor learning and memory formation: A consensus and critical position paper

Buch

Santarnecchi

Antal

et al. 2017

Clinical Neurophysiology

296

267

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Motor skills are required for activities of daily living. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied in association with motor skill learning has been investigated as a tool for enhancing training effects in health and disease. Here, we review the published literature investigating whether tDCS can facilitate the acquisition and retention of motor skills and adaptation. A majority of reports focused on the application of anodal tDCS over the primary motor cortex (M1) during motor skill acquisition, while some evaluated tDCS applied over the cerebellum during adaptation of existing motor skills. Work in multiple laboratories is under way to develop a mechanistic understanding of tDCS effects on different forms of learning, and to optimize stimulation protocols.Efforts are required to improve reproducibility and standardization. Overall, reproducibility remains to be fully tested, effect sizes with present techniques are moderate (up to d= 0.5) (Hashemirad, Zoghi, Fitzgerald, & Jaberzadeh, 2016) and the basis of inter-individual variability in tDCS effects is incompletely understood. It is recommended that future studies explicitly state in the Methods the exploratory (hypothesisgenerating) or hypothesis-driven (confirmatory) nature of the experimental designs. General research practices could be improved with prospective pre-registration of hypothesis-based investigations, more emphasis on detailed description of methods and use of post-publication open data repositories. A checklist is proposed for reporting tDCS investigations in a way that can improve efforts to assess reproducibility.

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Section: Offline Motor Skill Learning and Retentionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Motor Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Effects of tDCS on motor learning and memory formation: A consensus and critical position paper

Buch

Santarnecchi

Antal

et al. 2017

Clinical Neurophysiology

296

267

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Short breaks of approximately 60 s were permitted between repetitions. Stimulation was initiated with the first training block according to published standards31 by the same experienced investigator. In both sham and anodal tDCS conditions, current was ramped up to 1 mA over 45 s. Anodal tDCS was maintained at 1 mA for 20 min.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of transcranial direct-current stimulation on laparoscopic surgical skill acquisition

et al. 2018

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BackgroundChanges in medical education may limit opportunities for trainees to gain proficiency in surgical skills. Transcranial direct‐current stimulation (tDCS) can augment motor skill learning and may enhance surgical procedural skill acquisition. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of tDCS on simulation‐based laparoscopic surgical skill acquisition.MethodsIn this double‐blind, sham‐controlled randomized trial, participants were randomized to receive 20 min of anodal tDCS or sham stimulation over the dominant primary motor cortex, concurrent with Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery simulation‐based training. Primary outcomes of laparoscopic pattern‐cutting and peg transfer tasks were scored at baseline, during repeated performance over 1 h, and again at 6 weeks. Intent‐to‐treat analysis examined the effects of treatment group on skill acquisition and retention.ResultsOf 40 participants, those receiving tDCS achieved higher mean(s.d.) final pattern‐cutting scores than participants in the sham group (207·6(30·0) versus 186·0(32·7) respectively; P = 0·022). Scores were unchanged at 6 weeks. Effects on peg transfer scores were not significantly different (210·2(23·5) in the tDCS group versus 201·7(18·1) in the sham group; P = 0·111); the proportion achieving predetermined proficiency levels was higher for tDCS than for sham stimulation. Procedures were well tolerated with no serious adverse events and no decreases in motor measures.ConclusionThe addition of tDCS to laparoscopic surgical training may enhance skill acquisition. Trials of additional skills and translation to non‐simulated performance are required to determine the potential value in medical education and impact on patient outcomes. Registration number: NCT02756052 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/).

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“…Second, the high cheating rate in the sham condition [which is similar, for example, to the cheating rate in a sample of prisoners (21) cheating to the more extreme form of cheating in every possible instance. In any case, the results of the cathodal condition clearly show that any general side effects of electrical stimulation, such as possible discomfort or distraction, cannot account for the substantial reduction in cheating observed when stimulation polarity was reversed (20). We explored possible mechanisms for why anodal tDCS increased honesty.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Increasing honesty in humans with noninvasive brain stimulation

Maréchal

Cohn

Ugazio

et al. 2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Honesty plays a key role in social and economic interactions and is crucial for societal functioning. However, breaches of honesty are pervasive and cause significant societal and economic problems that can affect entire nations. Despite its importance, remarkably little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms supporting honest behavior. We demonstrate that honesty can be increased in humans with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Participants (n = 145) completed a die-rolling task where they could misreport their outcomes to increase their earnings, thereby pitting honest behavior against personal financial gain. Cheating was substantial in a control condition but decreased dramatically when neural excitability was enhanced with tDCS. This increase in honesty could not be explained by changes in material self-interest or moral beliefs and was dissociated from participants' impulsivity, willingness to take risks, and mood. A follow-up experiment (n = 156) showed that tDCS only reduced cheating when dishonest behavior benefited the participants themselves rather than another person, suggesting that the stimulated neural process specifically resolves conflicts between honesty and material self-interest. Our results demonstrate that honesty can be strengthened by noninvasive interventions and concur with theories proposing that the human brain has evolved mechanisms dedicated to control complex social behaviors.honesty | cheating | social decision making | brain stimulation | dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

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A technical guide to tDCS, and related non-invasive brain stimulation tools

Cited by 1,078 publications

References 215 publications

Effects of tDCS on motor learning and memory formation: A consensus and critical position paper

Effects of tDCS on motor learning and memory formation: A consensus and critical position paper

Effects of transcranial direct-current stimulation on laparoscopic surgical skill acquisition

Increasing honesty in humans with noninvasive brain stimulation

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