Transcranial direct current stimulation of the motor cortex in waking resting state induces motor imagery.
Jana Speth, Clemens Speth, Trevor A. Harley
Consciousness and Cognition July 20, 2015 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2015.07.005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized triple-blinded study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) Sham stimulation |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Motor cortex Humans Electroencephalography Motor activity Imagination Wakefulness Rest Female Young adult EEG Consciousness Motor imagery Motor system Brain stimulation Tdcs Dream Mentation reports Quantitative linguistic analysis |
| Key points | Spontaneous motor imagery rarely occurred under sham stimulation, whereas anodal tDCS over the motor cortex induced general and athletic motor imagery. The authors propose that electrophysiological manipulation of motor imagery could eventually support rehabilitative tDCS protocols for temporarily immobile patients who cannot perform specific motor imagery tasks. |
Abstract
This study investigates if anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of areas above the motor cortex (C3) influences spontaneous motor imagery experienced in the waking resting state. A randomized triple-blinded design was used, combining neurophysiological techniques with tools of quantitative mentation report analysis from cognitive linguistics. The results indicate that while spontaneous motor imagery rarely occurs under sham stimulation, general and athletic motor imagery (classified as athletic disciplines), is induced by anodal tDCS. This insight may have implications beyond basic consciousness research. Motor imagery and corresponding motor cortical activation have been shown to benefit later motor performance. Electrophysiological manipulations of motor imagery could in the long run be used for rehabilitative tDCS protocols benefitting temporarily immobile clinical patients who cannot perform specific motor imagery tasks - such as dementia patients, infants with developmental and motor disorders, and coma patients.
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Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Decreased mental time travel to the past correlates with default-mode network disintegration under lysergic acid diethylamide Journal of Psychopharmacology 2016
- Auditory Verbal Experience and Agency in Waking, Sleep Onset, REM, and Non‐REM Sleep Cognitive Science March 22, 2016
- Investigating the transfer of physical stimuli to the dreamed body: A comparative study of muscular, vestibular, and haptic stimulation on dream incorporation PLoS One October 14, 2026
- A Comparative Study of Muscular, Vestibular, and Haptic Stimulation on Dream Incorporation bioRxiv December 9, 2024
- A New Measure of Hallucinatory States and a Discussion of REM Sleep Dreaming as a Virtual Laboratory for the Rehearsal of Embodied Cognition. Cognitive Science 2018
and 5 more in the library
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- Auditory Verbal Experience and Agency in Waking, Sleep Onset, REM, and Non‐REM Sleep Cognitive Science March 22, 2016
- A differentiating empirical linguistic analysis of dreamer activity in reports of EEG-controlled REM-dreams and hypnagogic hallucinations. Consciousness and Cognition September 1, 2013
- Cognitive and emotional processes during dreaming: a neuroimaging view. Consciousness and Cognition December 2011
and 2 more in the library