Effects of Duration of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Brain Motor Cortex Activity
Huang Fuxin1, Sun Yao1*, Li Jingqi2, Luo Zhizeng1
1(Intelligent Control and Robot Research Institute, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China) 2(Hangzhou Brain Rehabilitation Hospital, Hangzhou 311215, China)
Abstract：Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an emerging non-invasive brain stimulation technique, which can enhance cortical excitability and thus promote motor rehabilitation. However, the criteria for setting the stimulation duration parameters of this technique in motor function rehabilitation training have not been clearly defined. In this paper, the effect of anodal tDCS duration on the activity of cortical motor areas was investigated by acquiring EEG signals with a constant stimulation DC intensity of 1.5 mA. In the experiment, 11 healthy subjects were selected to receive three different durations (10, 15, 20 min) of anodal stimulation in C3 area based on the empirical values of previous experiments. In addition, a set of 25 min same-mode stimulation experiments was added. The EEG signals were collected before and after the stimulation, and two characteristic parameters, event-related desynchronization of C3 area mu and beta rhythms during motor imagery and power spectral density in resting state, were measured to compare the effects of the four different duration of anodal stimulation on the activity of motor areas in cerebral cortex. Results showed that the change in power spectral density (μV2/Hz) of mu and beta rhythm before and after different length of stimulation was 10 min: 2.835±0.841, 15 min: 3.975±0.978, 20 min: 7.022±1.562, 25 min: 1.413±1.329and 10 min: 0.890±0.421, 15 min: 1.645±0.630, 20 min: 3.122±0.710, 25 min: 0.321±0.259. The change in event-related desynchronization (%) of mu and beta was 10 min:10.06±2.81, 15 min: 14.11±2.87, 20 min: 22.12±4.67, 25 min: 3.77±3.03 and 10 min: 6.72±3.19, 15 min: 11.78±5.02, 20 min: 17.81±3.16, 25 min: 2.54±2.30. It was shown that within the 10~20 min experiments, the longer the stimulation time, the stronger the brain motor cortex activity was in the range of the 3 empirical values, and there was a significant difference (P<0.05), but continued prolongation of the stimulation duration instead led to a decrease in the brain motor cortex activity. These results are expected to provide a meaningful reference for the stimulation duration setting of motor function rehabilitation training based on tDCS technique.
黄福鑫, 孙曜, 李景琦, 罗志增. 经颅直流电刺激时长对脑运动皮层活跃度影响的研究[J]. 中国生物医学工程学报, 2023, 42(4): 411-419.
Huang Fuxin, Sun Yao, Li Jingqi, Luo Zhizeng. Effects of Duration of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Brain Motor Cortex Activity. Chinese Journal of Biomedical Engineering, 2023, 42(4): 411-419.
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