Skip to main content
AAN.com
Brief Communications
November 27, 2001

Sustained excitability elevations induced by transcranial DC motor cortex stimulation in humans

November 27, 2001 issue
57 (10) 1899-1901

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.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.

References

1.
Ziemann U, Corwell B, Cohen LG. Modulation of plasticity in human motor cortex after forearm ischemic nerve block. J Neurosci . 1998; 18: 1115–1123.
2.
Stefan K, Kunesch E, Cohen LG, Benecke R, Classen J. Induction of plasticity in the human motor cortex by paired associative stimulation. Brain . 2000; 123: 572–584.
3.
Abbruzzese G, Trompetto C, Schieppati M. The excitability of the human motor cortex increases during execution and mental imagination of sequential but not repetitive finger movements. Exp Brain Res . 1996; 111: 465–472.
4.
Bindman LJ, Lippold OC, Redfearn JWT. The action of brief polarising currents on the cerebral cortex of the rat (1) during current flow and (2) in the production of long-lasting aftereffects. J Physiol . 1964; 172: 369–382.
5.
Gartside IB. Mechanisms of sustained increases of firing rate of neurones in the rat cerebral cortex after polarization: role of protein synthesis. Nature . 1968; 220: 383–384.
6.
Moriwaki A. Polarizing currents increase noradrenaline-elicited accumulation of cyclic AMP in rat cerebral cortex. Brain Res . 1991; 544: 248–252.
7.
Nitsche MA, Paulus W. Excitability changes induced in the human motor cortex by weak transcranial direct current stimulation. J Physiol . 2000; 527: 633–639.
8.
Agnew WF, McCreery DB. Consideration for safety in the use of extracranial stimulation for motor evoked potentials. Neurosurgery . 1987; 20: 143–147.
9.
Bennett MR. The concept of long term potentiation at transmission of synapses. Prog Neurobiol . 2000; 60: 109–137.
10.
Rosen SC, Stamm JS. Transcortical polarization: facilitation of delayed response performance by monkeys. Exp Neurol . 1972; 2: 282–289.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Neurology®
Volume 57Number 10November 27, 2001
Pages: 1899-1901
PubMed: 11723286

Publication History

Received: April 16, 2001
Accepted: July 14, 2001
Published online: November 27, 2001
Published in print: November 27, 2001

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

Authors

Affiliations & Disclosures

Michael A. Nitsche, MD
From the Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Goettingen, Germany.
Walter Paulus, MD
From the Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Goettingen, Germany.

Notes

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. W. Paulus, Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University of Goettingen, Robert Koch Str. 40, 37075 Goettingen, Germany; e-mail: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citation information is sourced from Crossref Cited-by service.

Citations

Download Citations

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

Cited By
  1. Augmenting Verb-Naming Therapy With Neuromodulation Decelerates Language Loss in Primary Progressive Aphasia, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 34, 1, (155-173), (2025).https://doi.org/10.1044/2024_AJSLP-24-00016
    Crossref
  2. Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation for the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease, International Compendium of Movement Disorders, (306-315), (2025).https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108989855.027
    Crossref
  3. Transcranial direct current stimulation and its effect on cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia: An updated review, Schizophrenia Research: Cognition, 39, (100335), (2025).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scog.2024.100335
    Crossref
  4. Perceptual and Cognitive Effects of Focal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of Auditory Cortex in Tinnitus, Neuromodulation: Technology at the Neural Interface, 28, 1, (136-145), (2025).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurom.2024.06.001
    Crossref
  5. The polarity of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation affects the planning and execution of movement sequences, NeuroImage, 306, (121018), (2025).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121018
    Crossref
  6. Local and network changes after multichannel transcranial direct current stimulation using magnetoencephalography in patients with refractory epilepsy, Clinical Neurophysiology, 170, (145-155), (2025).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2024.12.006
    Crossref
  7. Comparison of short- and long-term effects of neurofeedback and transcranial electrical stimulation on the motor learning in healthy adults, Behavioural Brain Research, 476, (115263), (2025).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115263
    Crossref
  8. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation for Cognitive Impairment Rehabilitation: A Bibliometric Analysis, Archives of Medical Research, 56, 1, (103086), (2025).https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arcmed.2024.103086
    Crossref
  9. Exogenous induction of neuroplasticity: Non-invasive neurostimulation, Encyclopedia of the Human Brain, (730-757), (2025).https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00217-5
    Crossref
  10. Non-invasive brain stimulation and cognition, Encyclopedia of the Human Brain, (641-651), (2025).https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820480-1.00142-X
    Crossref
  11. See more
Loading...

View Options

Login options

Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Personal login Institutional Login
Purchase Options

The neurology.org payment platform is currently offline. Our technical team is working as quickly as possible to restore service.

If you need immediate support or to place an order, please call or email customer service:

  • 1-800-638-3030 for U.S. customers - 8:30 - 7 pm ET (M-F)
  • 1-301-223-2300 for customers outside the U.S. - 8:30 - 7 pm ET (M-F)
  • [email protected]

We appreciate your patience during this time and apologize for any inconvenience.

View options

PDF and All Supplements

Download PDF and Supplementary Material

Full Text

View Full Text

Full Text HTML

View Full Text HTML

Figures

Tables

Media

Share

Share

Share article link

Share