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Showing papers on "Transcranial direct-current stimulation published in 2001"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors show that in the human transcranial direct current stimulation is able to induce sustained cortical excitability elevations, and this technique is a potentially valuable tool in neuroplasticity modulation.
Abstract: The authors show that in the human transcranial direct current stimulation is able to induce sustained cortical excitability elevations. As revealed by transcranial magnetic stimulation, motor cortical excitability increased approximately 150% above baseline for up to 90 minutes after the end of stimulation. The feasibility of inducing long-lasting excitability modulations in a noninvasive, painless, and reversible way makes this technique a potentially valuable tool in neuroplasticity modulation.

2,289 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Findings support the view that reduced neuroaxonal excitability after cathodal tDCS causes reduced brain activity, but rather than affecting the primary sensorimotor input of an active task, the process appears to dampen those responses that rely on cortico‐cortical connections and related processing.
Abstract: Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) MRI was used to monitor modulations of human sensorimotor activity by prior transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Activation maps for a right hand sequential finger opposition task were obtained for six subjects before as well as 0-5 min and 15-20 min after a 5-min period of 1 mA cathodal and, in a separate session, anodal tDCS of the left-hemispheric motor cortex. Cathodal tDCS resulted in a global decrease of the mean number of activated pixels by 38% (P < 0.01) 0-5 min after stimulation, which reduced to 28% (P < 0.05) 15-20 min after stimulation. A region-of-interest analysis revealed a 57% decrease of activated pixels (P < 0.001) in the supplementary motor area, but no change in the hand area of the primary motor cortex. Anodal tDCS yielded a nonsignificant 5% increase of activated pixels with no regional differences. These findings support the view that reduced neuroaxonal excitability after cathodal tDCS causes reduced brain activity. However, rather than affecting the primary sensorimotor input of an active task, the process appears to dampen those responses that rely on cortico-cortical connections and related processing. Magn Reson Med 45:196-201, 2001.

233 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results show that primary visual functions, such as contrast detection can be transiently altered by transcranial weak direct current stimulation, most probably modulating neural excitability, as has been shown in the motor cortex previously.
Abstract: Static and dynamic contrast sensitivities (sCS and dCS) were evaluated before, during, immediately after and 10 min after anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the occipital cortex of 15 healthy subjects. Using 4 c/d spatial and 4 Hz temporal frequencies significant sCS and dCS loss was found during and immediately after 7 min cathodal stimulation while anodal stimulation had no effect. Ten minutes after the end of the stimulation the sCS and dCS values had reached the baseline levels. Our results show that primary visual functions, such as contrast detection can be transiently altered by transcranial weak direct current stimulation, most probably modulating neural excitability, as has been shown in the motor cortex previously. The present study also support the view that this method using weak current can be a non-invasive promising tool to induce reversible focal changes in the nervous system.

224 citations