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Anodal tDCS over Primary Motor Cortex Provides No Advantage to Learning Motor Sequences via Observation.

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cam.issuedOnline2018-03-29
dc.contributor.authorApšvalka, Dace
dc.contributor.authorRamsey, Richard
dc.contributor.authorCross, Emily S
dc.date.accessioned2018-08-31T08:44:39Z
dc.date.available2018-08-31T08:44:39Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.description.abstractWhen learning a new motor skill, we benefit from watching others. It has been suggested that observation of others' actions can build a motor representation in the observer, and as such, physical and observational learning might share a similar neural basis. If physical and observational learning share a similar neural basis, then motor cortex stimulation during observational practice should similarly enhance learning by observation as it does through physical practice. Here, we used transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) to address whether anodal stimulation to M1 during observational training facilitates skill acquisition. Participants learned keypress sequences across four consecutive days of observational practice while receiving active or sham stimulation over M1. The results demonstrated that active stimulation provided no advantage to skill learning over sham stimulation. Further, Bayesian analyses revealed evidence in favour of the null hypothesis across our dependent measures. Our findings therefore provide no support for the hypothesis that excitatory M1 stimulation can enhance observational learning in a similar manner to physical learning. More generally, the results add to a growing literature that suggests that the effects of tDCS tend to be small, inconsistent, and hard to replicate. Future tDCS research should consider these factors when designing experimental procedures.
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Grant no. DSTLX-1000083177 to Emily S. Cross and Richard Ramsey), the Economic and Social Research Council (Grant no. ES/K001884/1 to Richard Ramsey and ES/K001892/1 to Emily S. Cross), and the funding from the European Commission to Emily S. Cross (CIG11- 2012-322256 and ERC-2015-STG-677270).
dc.identifier.doi10.17863/CAM.26426
dc.identifier.eissn1687-5443
dc.identifier.issn1687-5443
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/279045
dc.languageeng
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherHindawi Publishing Corporation
dc.publisher.urlhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/1237962
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectAdolescent
dc.subjectAdult
dc.subjectBehavior Observation Techniques
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectImitative Behavior
dc.subjectLearning
dc.subjectMale
dc.subjectMotor Cortex
dc.subjectMotor Skills
dc.subjectPhotic Stimulation
dc.subjectPsychomotor Performance
dc.subjectTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation
dc.subjectYoung Adult
dc.titleAnodal tDCS over Primary Motor Cortex Provides No Advantage to Learning Motor Sequences via Observation.
dc.typeArticle
dcterms.dateAccepted2017-12-28
prism.number1237962
prism.publicationNameNeural Plasticity
prism.volume2018
pubs.funder-project-idMedical Research Council (MC_UU_00005/1)
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate2017-12-28
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rioxxterms.typeJournal Article/Review
rioxxterms.versionVoR
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.1155/2018/1237962

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