Noninvasive brain stimulation with transcranial magnetic or direct current stimulation (TMS/tDCS)—From insights into human memory to therapy of its dysfunction |
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Authors: | Roland Sparing Felix M. Mottaghy |
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Affiliation: | aInstitute of Neuroscience and Biophysics, Research Centre Juelich, Leo-Brandt-Str. 1, 52428 Juelich, Germany;bBrain Imaging Center West (BICW), Research Centre Juelich, Germany;cDepartment of Neurology, University Hospital Cologne, Joseph-Stelzmann Str. 9, 50931 Cologne, Germany;dDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Gasthuisberg and Catholic University Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven, Belgium |
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Abstract: | Noninvasive stimulation of the brain by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has driven important discoveries in the field of human memory functions. Stand-alone or in combination with other brain mapping techniques noninvasive brain stimulation can assess issues such as location and timing of brain activity, connectivity and plasticity of neural circuits and functional relevance of a circumscribed brain area to a given cognitive task. In this emerging field, major advances in technology have been made in a relatively short period. New stimulation protocols and, especially, the progress in the application of tDCS have made it possible to obtain longer and much clearer inhibitory or facilitatory effects even after the stimulation has ceased. In this introductory review, we outline the basic principles, discuss technical limitations and describe how noninvasive brain stimulation can be used to study human memory functions in vivo. Though improvement of cognitive functions through noninvasive brain stimulation is promising, it still remains an exciting challenge to extend the use of TMS and tDCS from research tools in neuroscience to the treatment of neurological and psychiatric patients. |
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Keywords: | Transcranial magnetic stimulation TMS Repetitive TMS rTMS Transcranial direct current stimulation DCS Cortical excitability Human memory functions Brain mapping Brain polarization |
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