Jordan Raschi
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
UROP Fellowship: Biomedical and Life Sciences
Research Mentor(s): Michael Vesia, PhD
School of Kinesiology
Presentation Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2020 | Session 1 | Presenter: 6
Authors: Jordan Raschi, Elana Goldenkoff, Katy Michon, Michael Vesia
Abstract
Voluntary motor control is mediated by functional connectivity in specific cortico-cortical pathways. The cortical prehension network is comprised of strongly interconnected parietal and frontal areas which control skilled hand movements. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS), a low cost, well tolerated, new form of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS), is capable of modulating neuroplasticity within targeted brain networks by manipulating neuronal firing patterns. However, the effects of targeted parieto-motor brain pathways and skilled motor performance have yet to be tested. The proposed study will examine whether network-targeted HD-tDCS can increase functional connectivity among distributed parietal and motor areas involved in action-related processes and concomitantly improve skilled hand movements. We propose to use targeted HD-tDCS to strengthen parieto-motor pathways and test the effect of this manipulation on skilled motor performance. We propose to test 58 right-handed, healthy individuals in this study. Each participant will be randomly assigned to one of three groups undergoing 10 min of HD-tDCS in three different configurations: 1) network HD-tDCS, 2) traditional HD-tDCS, or 3) out of network HD-tDCS. We will estimate manual dexterity with a standard nine-hole peg test (9HPT). Each session will consist of a behavioral measurement before and after (0 and 30 min) the application of each HD-tDCS configuration. We predict the time needed to complete the 9HPT will decrease after network-targeted HD-tDCS compared to traditional HD-tDCS and out of network HD-tDCS. If effective, the results of this study can be used to improve neuromodulatory therapies by targeting a specific functional network sub serving voluntary motor control for a broad range of neurological disorders.
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Research Disciplines
Biomedical Sciences
