Title
No aftereffects of high current density 10 Hz and 20 Hz tACS on sensorimotor alpha and beta oscillations
Date Issued
01 December 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Lafleur L.P.
Murray A.
Desforges M.
Fregni F.
Tremblay S.
Saint-Amour D.
Lepage J.F.
Théoret H.
Harvard Medical School
Publisher(s)
Nature Research
Abstract
Application of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is thought to modulate ongoing brain oscillations in a frequency-dependent manner. However, recent studies report various and sometimes inconsistent results regarding its capacity to induce changes in cortical activity beyond the stimulation period. Here, thirty healthy volunteers participated in a randomized, cross-over, sham-controlled, double-blind study using EEG to measure the offline effects of tACS on alpha and beta power. Sham and high current density tACS (1 mA; 10 Hz and 20 Hz; 0.32 mA/cm2) were applied for 20 min over bilateral sensorimotor areas and EEG was recorded at rest before and after stimulation for 20 min. Bilateral tACS was not associated with significant changes in local alpha and beta power frequencies at stimulation sites (C3 and C4 electrodes). Overall, the present results fail to provide evidence that bilateral tACS with high current density applied over sensorimotor regions at 10 and 20 Hz reliably modulates offline brain oscillation power at the stimulation site. These results may have implications for the design and implementation of future protocols aiming to induce sustained changes in brain activity, including in clinical populations.
Volume
11
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Neurología clínica
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85118456352
PubMed ID
Source
Scientific Reports
ISSN of the container
20452322
Sponsor(s)
This work was supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (RGPIN-2016-05079). LPL was supported by a scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus