Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Dual-Task Performance

Authors:

Oberle K and Ketcham CJ*

DOI: 10.23880/nnoaj-16000122

Volume 3, Issue 1

Abstract

The importance of accurate cognitive performance during a complex motor task is essential for professions including athletes, police and military personnel. Cerebellar Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used as a low-cost, non-invasive technique to enhance performance of individuals in a variety of isolated motor and cognitive tasks but not in a dual-task. Twenty healthy college-age individuals completed this study. A baseline dual-task was conducted with participants completing four cognitive tasks: Reaction Time (simple, choice) and Working Memory (Stroop and N-Back) while simultaneous maintaining balance on an unstable BioDex Balance platform. Each participant received anodal (n=10) or sham (n=10) cerebellar tDCS at 1mA.min for a total of 40mA.min (~45mins). During this time, participants completed cognitive and balance training. Participants repeated the dual-task testing immediately following training, and again one week later. Results showed no differences in cognitive performance between the tDCS and sham groups (p>0.05). Balance continued to show improvements during the simple cognitive tasks in the tDCS group one week later (p<0.05). Overall there were limited dual-task performance improvements of cerebellar tDCS in a 45 minute training session. It is possible the dual-task was too simple or the training session too short for this population.

Keywords:

Balance; Cognition; Working memory; Training; tDCS

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