Transcranial direct current stimulation over the primary motor cortex during fMRI

Measurements of motor evoked potentials (MEPs) have shown that anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulations (tDCS) have facilitatory or inhibitory effects on corticospinal excitability in the stimulated area of the primary motor cortex (M1). Here, we investigated the online effects of short periods of anodal and cathodal tDCS on human brain activity of healthy subjects and associated hemodynamics by concurrent blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at 3T. Using a block design, 20s periods of tDCS at 1 mA intensity over the left M1 altered with 20s periods without tDCS. In different fMRI runs, the effect of anodal or cathodal tDCS was assessed at rest or during finger tapping. A control experiment was also performed, in which the electrodes were placed over the left and right occipito-temporo-parietal junction. Neither anodal nor cathodal tDCS over the M1 for 20s stimulation duration induced a detectable BOLD signal change. However, in comparison to a voluntary finger tapping task without stimulation, anodal tDCS during finger tapping resulted in a decrease in the BOLD response in the supplementary motor area (SMA). Cathodal stimulation did not result in significant change in BOLD response in the SMA, however, a tendency toward decreased activity could be seen. In the control experiment neither cathodal nor anodal stimulation resulted in a significant change of BOLD signal during finger tapping in any brain area including SMA, PM, and M1. These findings demonstrate that the well-known polarity-dependent shifts in corticospinal excitability that have previously been demonstrated using measurements of MEPs after M1 stimulation are not paralleled by analogous changes in regional BOLD signal. This difference implies that the BOLD signal and measurements of MEPs probe diverse physiological mechanisms. The MEP amplitude reflects changes in transsynaptic excitability of large pyramidal neurons while the BOLD signal is a measure of net synaptic activity of all cortical neurons.