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Articles, Behavioral/Cognitive

Ceiling Effects Prevent Further Improvement of Transcranial Stimulation in Skilled Musicians

Shinichi Furuya, Matthias Klaus, Michael A. Nitsche, Walter Paulus and Eckart Altenmüller
Journal of Neuroscience 8 October 2014, 34 (41) 13834-13839; https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1170-14.2014
Shinichi Furuya
1Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medicine, Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, Hanover 30175, Germany, and
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Matthias Klaus
1Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medicine, Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, Hanover 30175, Germany, and
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Michael A. Nitsche
2Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-University, Göttingen 37075, Germany
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Walter Paulus
2Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August-University, Göttingen 37075, Germany
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Eckart Altenmüller
1Institute for Music Physiology and Musicians' Medicine, Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, Hanover 30175, Germany, and
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Abstract

The roles of the motor cortex in the acquisition and performance of skilled finger movements have been extensively investigated over decades. Yet it is still not known whether these roles of motor cortex are expertise-dependent. The present study addresses this issue by comparing the effects of noninvasive transcranial direction current stimulation (tDCS) on the fine control of sequential finger movements in highly trained pianists and musically untrained individuals. Thirteen pianists and 13 untrained controls performed timed-sequence finger movements with each of the right and left hands before and after receiving bilateral tDCS over the primary motor cortices. The results demonstrate an improvement of fine motor control in both hands in musically untrained controls, but deterioration in pianists following anodal tDCS over the contralateral cortex and cathodal tDCS over the ipsilateral cortex compared with the sham stimulation. However, this change in motor performance was not evident after stimulating with the opposite montage. These findings support the notion that changes in dexterous finger movements induced by bihemispheric tDCS are expertise-dependent.

  • dexterity
  • expertise
  • motor cortex
  • motor skill acquisition
  • tDCS
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The Journal of Neuroscience: 34 (41)
Journal of Neuroscience
Vol. 34, Issue 41
8 Oct 2014
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Ceiling Effects Prevent Further Improvement of Transcranial Stimulation in Skilled Musicians
Shinichi Furuya, Matthias Klaus, Michael A. Nitsche, Walter Paulus, Eckart Altenmüller
Journal of Neuroscience 8 October 2014, 34 (41) 13834-13839; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1170-14.2014

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Ceiling Effects Prevent Further Improvement of Transcranial Stimulation in Skilled Musicians
Shinichi Furuya, Matthias Klaus, Michael A. Nitsche, Walter Paulus, Eckart Altenmüller
Journal of Neuroscience 8 October 2014, 34 (41) 13834-13839; DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1170-14.2014
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Keywords

  • dexterity
  • expertise
  • motor cortex
  • motor skill acquisition
  • tDCS

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