The role of GABA in human motor learning.

Stagg CJ., Bachtiar V., Johansen-Berg H.

GABA modification plays an important role in motor cortical plasticity. We therefore hypothesized that interindividual variation in the responsiveness of the GABA system to modification influences learning capacity in healthy adults. We assessed GABA responsiveness by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), an intervention known to decrease GABA. The magnitude of M1 GABA decrease induced by anodal tDCS correlated positively with both the degree of motor learning and the degree of fMRI signal change within the left M1 during learning. This study therefore suggests that the responsiveness of the GABAergic system to modification may be relevant to short-term motor learning behavior and learning-related brain activity.

DOI

10.1016/j.cub.2011.01.069

Type

Journal article

Journal

Curr Biol

Publication Date

22/03/2011

Volume

21

Pages

480 - 484

Keywords

Adult, Aspartic Acid, Deep Brain Stimulation, Female, Humans, Learning, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Motor Activity, Motor Cortex, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid

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