Effects of EEG-guided transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) of the cerebellum on motor behavior and electrophysiological activity
The cerebellum plays a key role in motor control, yet its oscillatory dynamics remain poorly understood due to anatomical and methodological constraints. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has emerged as a promising tool to modulate cerebellar activity, particularly when tailored to...
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| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925003532 |
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| author | Andrea Ciricugno Maria Arioli Viola Oldrati Alessandra Finisguerra Cosimo Urgesi Renato Borgatti Zaira Cattaneo |
| author_facet | Andrea Ciricugno Maria Arioli Viola Oldrati Alessandra Finisguerra Cosimo Urgesi Renato Borgatti Zaira Cattaneo |
| author_sort | Andrea Ciricugno |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The cerebellum plays a key role in motor control, yet its oscillatory dynamics remain poorly understood due to anatomical and methodological constraints. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has emerged as a promising tool to modulate cerebellar activity, particularly when tailored to individual neural oscillations. This study examined the effects of EEG-guided gamma-frequency cerebellar tACS—matched to each participant’s individual gamma frequency (IGF)—on motor performance and neurophysiological markers in healthy adults. Forty-four male and female participants completed a visuomotor task while undergoing either real or sham tACS across two sessions. Critically, EEG activity was recorded before and immediately after the stimulation while participants performed the visuomotor task to assess electrophysiological changes in power spectrum density. Measures of corticospinal excitability and inhibition were collected via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocols following each stimulation session. tACS at IGF enhanced motor precision during challenging task conditions and reduced corticospinal inhibition, without affecting corticospinal excitability. EEG analyses revealed IGF-dependent increases in theta-band power post-stimulation in motor regions, suggesting cross-frequency interactions. These findings highlight the potential of personalized cerebellar tACS to enhance motor performance and modulate inhibitory cortical dynamics, supporting its use as a precision neuromodulation tool in both research and clinical settings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-411a2dbc02e34fc3a72145e1ad9775fc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1095-9572 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage |
| spelling | doaj-art-411a2dbc02e34fc3a72145e1ad9775fc2025-08-20T03:33:18ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722025-08-0131712135010.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121350Effects of EEG-guided transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) of the cerebellum on motor behavior and electrophysiological activityAndrea Ciricugno0Maria Arioli1Viola Oldrati2Alessandra Finisguerra3Cosimo Urgesi4Renato Borgatti5Zaira Cattaneo6IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia 27100, Italy; Corresponding author.Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo 24129, ItalyScientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco 23842, ItalyScientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco 23842, ItalyDepartment of Human and Social Sciences, Universitas Mercatorum, Rome 00186, Italy; Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Pasian di Prato, Udine 33037, ItalyIRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia 27100, Italy; Department of Brain and Behavioral Science, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, ItalyDepartment of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo 24129, ItalyThe cerebellum plays a key role in motor control, yet its oscillatory dynamics remain poorly understood due to anatomical and methodological constraints. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has emerged as a promising tool to modulate cerebellar activity, particularly when tailored to individual neural oscillations. This study examined the effects of EEG-guided gamma-frequency cerebellar tACS—matched to each participant’s individual gamma frequency (IGF)—on motor performance and neurophysiological markers in healthy adults. Forty-four male and female participants completed a visuomotor task while undergoing either real or sham tACS across two sessions. Critically, EEG activity was recorded before and immediately after the stimulation while participants performed the visuomotor task to assess electrophysiological changes in power spectrum density. Measures of corticospinal excitability and inhibition were collected via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocols following each stimulation session. tACS at IGF enhanced motor precision during challenging task conditions and reduced corticospinal inhibition, without affecting corticospinal excitability. EEG analyses revealed IGF-dependent increases in theta-band power post-stimulation in motor regions, suggesting cross-frequency interactions. These findings highlight the potential of personalized cerebellar tACS to enhance motor performance and modulate inhibitory cortical dynamics, supporting its use as a precision neuromodulation tool in both research and clinical settings.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925003532Transcranial alternating current stimulationCerebellumMotor controlEEG-guided neuromodulationCortical inhibition |
| spellingShingle | Andrea Ciricugno Maria Arioli Viola Oldrati Alessandra Finisguerra Cosimo Urgesi Renato Borgatti Zaira Cattaneo Effects of EEG-guided transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) of the cerebellum on motor behavior and electrophysiological activity NeuroImage Transcranial alternating current stimulation Cerebellum Motor control EEG-guided neuromodulation Cortical inhibition |
| title | Effects of EEG-guided transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) of the cerebellum on motor behavior and electrophysiological activity |
| title_full | Effects of EEG-guided transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) of the cerebellum on motor behavior and electrophysiological activity |
| title_fullStr | Effects of EEG-guided transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) of the cerebellum on motor behavior and electrophysiological activity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of EEG-guided transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) of the cerebellum on motor behavior and electrophysiological activity |
| title_short | Effects of EEG-guided transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) of the cerebellum on motor behavior and electrophysiological activity |
| title_sort | effects of eeg guided transcranial alternating current stimulation tacs of the cerebellum on motor behavior and electrophysiological activity |
| topic | Transcranial alternating current stimulation Cerebellum Motor control EEG-guided neuromodulation Cortical inhibition |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811925003532 |
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