Slow-oscillatory tACS does not modulate human motor cortical response to repeated plasticity paradigms

Previous history of activity and learning modulates synaptic plasticity and can lead to saturation of synaptic connections. According to the synaptic homeostasis hypothesis, neural oscillations during slow-wave sleep play an important role in restoring plasticity within a functional range. However, it is not known whether slow-wave oscillations - without the concomitant requirement of sleep - play a causal role in human synaptic homeostasis. Here, slow-oscillatory transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS, 1Hz, 1mA, 18 minutes) was interleaved between two plasticity-inducing interventions: motor learning, and a paradigm known to induce long-term-potentiation-like plasticity in human motor cortex (paired associative stimulation; PAS). The hypothesis tested was that slow-oscillatory tACS would abolish the expected interference between motor learning and PAS, and facilitate plasticity from successive interventions. Thirty-six participants received sham and active fronto-motor tACS in two separate sessions, along with electroencephalography (EEG) recordings. A further 38 participants received tACS through a control (posterior midline) montage. Using neuro-navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the left motor cortex, motor evoked potentials (MEPs) were recorded throughout the session. Bayesian statistics were used to quantify evidence for or against the hypothesis of an effect of each intervention on MEP amplitude. As expected, there was converging evidence that motor training increased MEPs. Importantly, we found moderate evidence against an effect of active tACS in restoring PAS plasticity, and no evidence of lasting entrainment of slow-oscillations in the EEG. This suggests that, under the conditions tested here, slow-oscillatory tACS does not modulate synaptic homeostasis in the motor system of awake humans.