Simultaneous high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation of the motor cortex and motor imagery

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used to affect the excitability of neurons within the cerebral cortex. Improvements in motor learning have been found in multiple studies when tDCS was applied to the motor cortex during or before task learning is performed. The application of tDCS to motor imagery, a cognitive task showing activation in similar areas to motor execution, has resulted in differing effects based on the amplitude and duration of stimulation. We utilize high definition tDCS, a more spatially localized version of tDCS, to investigate the effect of anodal stimulation on human motor imagery performance. In parallel, we model this stimulation using a finite element model to calculate stimulation area and electrical field amplitude within the brain in the motor cortex and non-stimulated frontal and parietal regions. Overall, we found a delayed increase in resting baseline power 30 minutes post stimulation in both the right and left sensorimotor cortices which resulted in an increase in event-related desynchronization.