Boosting motor skill learning with gentle brain stimulation
Official title: Interaction of Motor Learning with Transcranial Direct Current - Efficacy and Mechanisms
Funded at City College of New York · NIH-11238420 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will apply stronger, targeted mild electrical stimulation to the brain while people practice movements to help them learn or re-learn motor skills after stroke or injury.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | City College of New York NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2022 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $543,681 |
| NIH project number | 5R01NS130484-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11238420 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults in motor rehabilitation—especially people with arm or hand weakness after stroke or other injuries who can attend repeated training sessions.
✕Less likely to help
People without motor problems, or those with implanted electronic/metal devices in the head, active epilepsy, or other medical contraindications to brain stimulation are unlikely to benefit or qualify.
What this research studies
This project compares motor training done with and without simultaneous mild electrical brain stimulation to see if practicing while stimulated improves learning. The team will run parallel experiments in people and in rats: human participants will use a new electrode setup that reaches higher field levels over motor brain areas while they do sequence learning tasks, and rats will use a pellet-reaching task with a stronger stimulation protocol. Researchers will change stimulation strength, timing, and polarity to find which combinations boost learning and which do not. The work aims to show whether the approach speeds recovery of movement and to reveal brain mechanisms so future rehab can use the best settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make physical therapy and home practice more effective and speed recovery of arm and hand function after stroke or injury.
How similar studies have gone: Previous tDCS trials have shown mixed and often small benefits for motor recovery, so pairing higher-intensity stimulation with simultaneous practice is a newer approach that is not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
City College of New York
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Parra, Lucas C — City College of New York
- Study coordinator: Parra, Lucas C
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.