Motor Learning
Conditions
Keywords
motor, transcranial direct current stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation
Brief summary
Practice is required to improve your shot in basketball or to play a musical instrument. The learning of these motor skills can be further enhanced by non-invasively stimulating regions of the brain that control movements with electrical currents. These electric currents can strengthen or weaken connections of the brain, which consequently affects a person's ability to improve their performance on a skill. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is widely applied in many disciplines of neuroscience research, and has potential therapeutic application. There are two specific types of NIBS that will be used in this research study: 1) Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), which applies very weak electrical currents via two rubber electrodes on the scalp, and 2) Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which applies magnetic pulses via a coil against the head, to stimulate regions of the brain. Both types of non-invasive brain stimulation (i.e., tDCS, and TMS) are well-tolerated, painless, and safe. The application of tDCS to brain regions that control movements, concurrently with practice of a skill, results in better skill performance, than practice alone with no tDCS. Therefore, in this study, we will be testing different types of brain stimulation and different amounts of practice.
Interventions
DEVICESham TDCS
Placebo stimulation is applied to the left motor cortex while participants perform a motor task in the right hand. During the motor task, participants use their right hand to pinch a force transducer that controls an on-screen cursor to navigate between a start position and a sequence of 5 other positions to the right.
DEVICEAnodal TDCS
Excitatory stimulation is applied to the left motor cortex while participants perform a motor task in the right hand. During the motor task, participants use their right hand to pinch a force transducer that controls an on-screen cursor to navigate between a start position and a sequence of 5 other positions to the right.
DEVICETranscranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Participants will receive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to allow research investigators to determine the location of the left motor cortex.
Sponsors
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 44 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Healthy
Exclusion criteria
* prior history of neurological or psychiatric disease * prior experience with the motor task used * contraindications to TMS and TDCS (e.g., metal implants, history of seizures and headaches) * musculoskeletal injury to upper limb * drugs that interact with NIBS (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy | Up to 8 days | Accuracy is defined as the proportion of trials per block with hits to all targets in the correct sequence order. |
| Speed | Up to 8 days | Speed is captured by the average sequence movement time per training block |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed