How Many Days Would You Want to Practice a Skill to Achieve it?

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Practice is required to improve your shot in basketball or to play a musical instrument. The learning of these motor skills can be further enhanced by non-invasively stimulating regions of the brain that control movements with electrical currents. These electric currents can strengthen or weaken connections of the brain, which consequently affects a person's ability to improve their performance on a skill. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is widely applied in many disciplines of neuroscience research, and has potential therapeutic application. There are two specific types of NIBS that will be used in this research study: 1) Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), which applies very weak electrical currents via two rubber electrodes on the scalp, and 2) Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which applies magnetic pulses via a coil against the head, to stimulate regions of the brain. Both types of non-invasive brain stimulation (i.e., tDCS, and TMS) are well-tolerated, painless, and safe. The application of tDCS to brain regions that control movements, concurrently with practice of a skill, results in better skill performance, than practice alone with no tDCS. Therefore, in this study, we will be testing different types of brain stimulation and different amounts of practice.

Official Title
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How Many Days Would You Want to Practice a Skill to Achieve it?

Conditions
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Motor Learning

Intervention / Treatment
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* Device: Sham TDCS
* Device: Anodal TDCS
* Device: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Healthy Exclusion Criteria: prior history of neurological or psychiatric disease prior experience with the motor task used contraindications to TMS and TDCS (e.g., metal implants, history of seizures and headaches) musculoskeletal injury to upper limb drugs that interact with NIBS (e.g., antidepressants, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants)

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 44 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Placebo Brain stimulation<br>Participants will receive Sham TDCS, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) | Device: Sham TDCS<br>* Placebo stimulation is applied to the left motor cortex while participants perform a motor task in the right hand. During the motor task, participants use their right hand to pinch a force transducer that controls an on-screen cursor to navigate between a start position and a sequence of 5 other positions to the right.<br>Device: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)<br>* Participants will receive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to allow research investigators to determine the location of the left motor cortex.<br>|
| Experimental: Excitatory Brain Stimulation<br>Participants will receive Anodal TDCS, and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) | Device: Anodal TDCS<br>* Excitatory stimulation is applied to the left motor cortex while participants perform a motor task in the right hand. During the motor task, participants use their right hand to pinch a force transducer that controls an on-screen cursor to navigate between a start position and a sequence of 5 other positions to the right.<br>Device: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)<br>* Participants will receive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to allow research investigators to determine the location of the left motor cortex.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Accuracy | Accuracy is defined as the proportion of trials per block with hits to all targets in the correct sequence order. | Up to 8 days | 
| Speed | Speed is captured by the average sequence movement time per training block | Up to 8 days | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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motor, transcranial direct current stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation