Brain zaps and imagination: a new way to boost motor learning in seniors?

This study tested whether mentally practicing finger movements (motor imagery) combined with a mild electrical brain stimulation (tDCS) could improve learning of a complex finger sequence in both young (20-35) and older (65-80) healthy adults. 64 participants were split into four groups: young with real stimulation, young with sham (fake) stimulation, older with real stimulation, and older with sham. Over three training sessions and a retention test a week later, researchers measured how many correct sequences each person could perform. The goal was to see if the combination of mental practice and brain stimulation boosts motor learning more than mental practice alone, especially in older adults.