Effects of neurofeedback training combined with transcranial direct current stimulation on motor imagery: A randomized controlled trial

Shun Sawai; Shin Murata; Shoya Fujikawa; Ryosuke Yamamoto; Keisuke Shima; Hideki Nakano

doi:10.3389/fnins.2023.1148336

Effects of neurofeedback training combined with transcranial direct current stimulation on motor imagery: A randomized controlled trial

Front Neurosci. 2023 Mar 2:17:1148336. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1148336. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Shun Sawai^{1

2}, Shin Murata^{1

3}, Shoya Fujikawa³, Ryosuke Yamamoto⁴, Keisuke Shima⁵, Hideki Nakano^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Graduate School of Health Sciences, Kyoto Tachibana University, Kyoto, Japan.
² Department of Rehabilitation, Kyoto Kuno Hospital, Kyoto, Japan.
³ Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Kyoto Tachibana University, Kyoto, Japan.
⁴ Department of Rehabilitation, Tesseikai Neurosurgical Hospital, Shijonawate, Japan.
⁵ Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Japan.

Abstract

Introduction: Neurofeedback (NFB) training and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have been shown to individually improve motor imagery (MI) abilities. However, the effect of combining both of them with MI has not been verified. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the effect of applying tDCS directly before MI with NFB.

Methods: Participants were divided into an NFB group (n = 10) that performed MI with NFB and an NFB + tDCS group (n = 10) that received tDCS for 10 min before MI with NFB. Both groups performed 60 MI trials with NFB. The MI task was performed 20 times without NFB before and after training, and μ-event-related desynchronization (ERD) and vividness MI were evaluated.

Results: μ-ERD increased significantly in the NFB + tDCS group compared to the NFB group. MI vividness significantly increased before and after training.

Discussion: Transcranial direct current stimulation and NFB modulate different processes with respect to MI ability improvement; hence, their combination might further improve MI performance. The results of this study indicate that the combination of NFB and tDCS for MI is more effective in improving MI abilities than applying them individually.

Keywords: brain-computer interface; combination; motor imagery; neurofeedback; tDCS.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number: JP20K11173.