The effect of gamma tACS over the M1 region and cerebellar hemisphere does not depend on current intensity

Abstract

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has been shown to modulate neural connectivity in the cortical area under experimental electrodes. Although gamma tACS over the M1 region and the cerebellar hemisphere has been shown to improve motor performance, the optimal stimulation method has not been clarified. In this study, we aimed to clarify whether the effect of gamma tACS over M1 and the cerebellar hemisphere depends on current intensity. Twenty healthy adults performed a visuomotor control task using their right index finger for 30 s during tACS (70 Hz) over the left M1 and the right cerebellar hemisphere. Each subject participated in 10 trials, separated by intervals of 3 min. Three stimulation conditions were applied: (1) pseudo-stimulation (sham condition), (2) tACS with a current intensity of 1.0 mA and (3) tACS with a current intensity of 2.0 mA. Our results indicated that regardless of the current intensity, participants with the lower motor performance had better motor performance under both tACS conditions. Such a correlation was not observed under the sham condition. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that the effect of gamma tACS over M1 and the cerebellar hemisphere does not depend on current intensity, and that motor performance slightly improved in both tACS conditions for participants with lower motor performance.