Cerebellar direct current stimulation enhances motor learning in older adults

NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING

卷:35

Article

Hardwick, Robert M.¹  Celnik, Pablo A.^1,2 

[1] Johns Hopkins Univ, Dept Phys Med & Rehabil, Baltimore, MD 21205 USA

[2] Johns Hopkins Univ, Dept Neurol, Baltimore, MD USA

关键词: Motor control;    Brain stimulation;    Transcranial direct current stimulation;    Older subjects;    Rehabilitation;    Learning;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.03.030

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Developing novel approaches to combat age related declines in motor function is key to maintaining health and function in older adults, a subgroup of the population that is rapidly growing. Motor adaptation, a form of motor learning, has been shown to be impaired in healthy older subjects compared with their younger counterparts. Here, we tested whether excitatory anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the cerebellum could enhance adaptation in older subjects. Participants performed a center-out reaching task, adapting to the sudden introduction of a visual cursor rotation. Older participants receiving sham tDCS (mean age 56.3 +/- 6.8 years) were slower to adapt than younger participants (mean age 20.7 +/- 2.1 years). In contrast, older participants who received anodal tDCS (mean age 59.6 +/- 8.1 years) adapted faster, with a rate that was similar to younger subjects. We conclude that cerebellar anodal tDCS enhances motor adaptation in older individuals. Our results highlight the efficacy of the novel approach of using cerebellar tDCS to combat age related deficits in motor learning. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free