An Acute Application of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation Does Not Enhance Motor Skill Acquisition or Retention in a Golf Putting Task

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-9-2019

Publication Title

Human Movement Science

Volume

66

First page number:

241

Last page number:

248

Abstract

Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) is a brain stimulation technique that has been shown to increase motor performance in simple motor tasks. The purpose was to determine the influence of tRNS on motor skill acquisition and retention in a complex golf putting task. Thirty-four young adults were randomly assigned to a tRNS group or a SHAM stimulation group. Each subject completed a practice session followed by a retention session. In the practice session, subjects performed golf putting trials in a baseline test block, four practice blocks, and a post test block. Twenty-four hours later subjects completed the retention test block. The golf putting task involved performing putts to a small target located 3 m away. tRNS or SHAM was applied during the practice blocks concurrently with the golf putting task. tRNS was applied over the first dorsal interosseus muscle representation area of the motor cortex for 20 min at a current strength of 2 mA. Endpoint error and endpoint variance were reduced across the both the practice blocks and the test blocks, but these reductions were not different between groups. These findings suggest that an acute application of tRNS failed to enhance skill acquisition or retention in a golf putting task.

Keywords

Transcranial direct current stimulation; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Motor skill; Motor learning; Golf

Disciplines

Kinesiotherapy | Motor Control | Sports Sciences

Language

English

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