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

Buch, ER; Santarnecchi, E; Antal, A; Born, J; Celnik, PA; Classen, J; Gerloff, C; ... Cohen, LG; + view all (2017) Effects of tDCS on motor learning and memory formation: A consensus and critical position paper. Clinical Neurophysiology , 128 (4) pp. 589-603. 10.1016/j.clinph.2017.01.004. Green open access

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Abstract

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, retention or adaptation of motor skills. Work in multiple laboratories is underway 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 vary over a wide range, and the basis of observed inter-individual variability in tDCS effects is incompletely understood. It is recommended that future studies explicitly state in the Methods the exploratory (hypothesis-generating) 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 the detailed description of methods (including all pertinent details to enable future modeling of induced current and experimental replication), 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.

Type: Article
Title: Effects of tDCS on motor learning and memory formation: A consensus and critical position paper
Location: Netherlands
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2017.01.004
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2017.01.004
Language: English
Additional information: © 2017 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology.
Keywords: Effect-size, Guidelines, Learning, Memory, Motor, Non-invasive brain stimulation, Open Science, tDCS
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology > Clinical and Movement Neurosciences
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1542536
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