Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33324938›Full record

ArticleNeurological research and practice2020

Lack of cerebellar tDCS effects on learning of a complex whole body dynamic balance task in middle-aged (50-65 years) adults.

M Rauscher, F Yavari, G Batsikadze, N Ludolph, W Ilg, M A Nitsche, D Timmann, K M Steiner

Open access · diamondAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Neurological research and practice, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 28% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 13 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Consensus Paper: Cerebellum and Ageing.Cerebellum (London, England) · 2024
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

M RauscherDepartment of Neurology, Essen University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
F YavariDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.
G BatsikadzeDepartment of Neurology, Essen University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
N LudolphCognitive Neurology, Section Computational Sensomotorics, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany.
W IlgCognitive Neurology, Section Computational Sensomotorics, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research and Center for Integrative Neuroscience, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany.
M A NitscheDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.
D TimmannDepartment of Neurology, Essen University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
K M SteinerDepartment of Neurology, Essen University Hospital, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2181-4295
Essen University Hospital · DEHertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research · DETU Dortmund University · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is widely considered as a promising non-invasive tool to foster motor performance and learning in health and disease. The results of previous studies, however, are inconsistent. Our group failed to provide evidence for an effect of cerebellar tDCS on learning of a complex whole body dynamic balance task in young and healthy participants. Ceiling effects in the young study population are one possible explanation for the negative findings.

methodsIn the present study, we therefore tested 40 middle-aged healthy participants between the ages of 50 to 65 years. Participants received either anodal or sham cerebellar tDCS using a double-blinded study design while performing a balance task on a Lafayette Instrument 16,030 stability platform®. Mean platform angle and mean balance time were assessed as outcome measures.

resultsSignificant learning effects were found in all participants. Balancing performance and learning rate was significantly less in the group of middle-aged adults compared to our previous group of young adults. No significant effects of cerebellar tDCS were observed.

conclusionsOur findings are in line with other studies that have failed to prove robust effects of cerebellar tDCS on motor learning. The present findings, however, do not exclude cerebellar tDCS effects. tDCS effects may be more prominent after repeated stimulation, using other stimulus parameters, in patient populations, or in other motor learning tasks.

trial registrationNot applicable.

Indexed as

AgingCerebellumMotor learningTranscranial direct current stimulation

Identifiers

PMID33324938
PMCPMC7650141
OpenAlexW3088996893

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.