Stimulating somatosensory psychophysics: a double-blind, sham-controlled study of the neurobiological mechanisms of tDCS
- PMID: 26500499
- PMCID: PMC4595660
- DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00400
Stimulating somatosensory psychophysics: a double-blind, sham-controlled study of the neurobiological mechanisms of tDCS
Abstract
The neuromodulation technique transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is thought to produce its effects on behavior by altering cortical excitability. Although the mechanisms underlying the observed effects are thought to rely on the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, the physiological principles of the technique are not completely understood. In this study, we examine the influence of tDCS on vibrotactile adaptation, using a simple amplitude discrimination paradigm that has been shown to exhibit modifications in performance due to changes in inhibitory neurotransmission. Double-blind tDCS (Anodal/Sham) of 1 mA was delivered for 600 s to electrodes positioned in a somatosensory/contralateral orbit montage. Stimulation was applied as part of a pre/post design, between blocks of the behavioral tasks. In accordance with previous work, results obtained before the application of tDCS indicated that amplitude discrimination thresholds were significantly worsened during adaptation trials, compared to those achieved at baseline. However, tDCS failed to modify amplitude discrimination performance. Using a Bayesian approach, this finding was revealed to constitute substantial evidence for the null hypothesis. The failure of DC stimulation to alter vibrotactile adaptation thresholds is discussed in the context of several factors that may have confounded the induction of changes in cortical plasticity.
Keywords: Bayesian statistics; GABA; NMDA; amplitude discrimination; neuromodulation; somatosensory; transcranial direct current stimulation; vibrotactile adaptation.
Figures
![FIGURE 1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4595660/bin/fncel-09-00400-g001.gif)
![FIGURE 2](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4595660/bin/fncel-09-00400-g002.gif)
![FIGURE 3](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4595660/bin/fncel-09-00400-g003.gif)
![FIGURE 4](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4595660/bin/fncel-09-00400-g004.gif)
![FIGURE 5](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/instance/4595660/bin/fncel-09-00400-g005.gif)
Similar articles
-
Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation of primary somatosensory cortex on vibrotactile detection and discrimination.J Neurophysiol. 2016 Apr;115(4):1978-87. doi: 10.1152/jn.00506.2015. Epub 2016 Feb 10. J Neurophysiol. 2016. PMID: 26864757 Free PMC article.
-
Differential effects of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation of prefrontal, motor and somatosensory cortices on cortical excitability and pain perception - a double-blind randomised sham-controlled study.Eur J Neurosci. 2015 Oct;42(7):2426-37. doi: 10.1111/ejn.13043. Epub 2015 Sep 12. Eur J Neurosci. 2015. PMID: 26275236 Clinical Trial.
-
Dose response of somatosensory cortex repeated anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on vibrotactile detection: a randomized sham-controlled trial.J Neurophysiol. 2018 Aug 1;120(2):610-616. doi: 10.1152/jn.00926.2017. Epub 2018 May 4. J Neurophysiol. 2018. PMID: 29726731 Clinical Trial.
-
Effects of simultaneous bilateral tDCS of the human motor cortex.Brain Stimul. 2012 Jul;5(3):214-222. doi: 10.1016/j.brs.2011.05.001. Epub 2011 Jun 1. Brain Stimul. 2012. PMID: 21782545
-
The Effect of Dual-Hemisphere Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Parietal Operculum on Tactile Orientation Discrimination.Front Behav Neurosci. 2017 Sep 20;11:173. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00173. eCollection 2017. Front Behav Neurosci. 2017. PMID: 28979197 Free PMC article.
Cited by
-
Reproducibility of flutter-range vibrotactile detection and discrimination thresholds.Sci Rep. 2020 Apr 16;10(1):6528. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-63208-z. Sci Rep. 2020. PMID: 32300187 Free PMC article.
-
Altered tactile sensitivity in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.J Neurophysiol. 2017 Nov 1;118(5):2568-2578. doi: 10.1152/jn.00087.2017. Epub 2017 Aug 2. J Neurophysiol. 2017. PMID: 28768738 Free PMC article.
-
Commentary: Systematic assessment of duration and intensity of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on primary motor cortex excitability.Front Hum Neurosci. 2016 Aug 30;10:439. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00439. eCollection 2016. Front Hum Neurosci. 2016. PMID: 27624156 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
References
-
- Bachmann C. G., Muschinsky S., Nitsche M. A., Rolke R., Magerl W., Treede R. D., et al. (2010). Transcranial direct current stimulation of the motor cortex induces distinct changes in thermal and mechanical sensory percepts. Clin. Neurophysiol. 121 2083–2089. 10.1016/j.clinph.2010.05.005 - DOI - PubMed
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources