Table 2.
Means (standard deviations) of writing and cortical excitability outcomes measured during pre-tests
| Sham group | tDCS group | Sham vs. tDCS, p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trained task (tablet) | |||
| Amplitude (cm) | |||
| OFF | 1.38 (0.19) | 1.40 (0.26) | 0.86 |
| ON | 1.45 (0.26) | 1.47 (0.29) | 0.83 |
| p value | 0.29 | 0.17 | |
| Untrained task (tablet) | |||
| Amplitude (cm) | |||
| OFF | 1.30 (0.10) | 1.27 (0.14) | 0.34 |
| ON | 1.34 (0.10) | 1.31 (0.11) | 0.35 |
| p value | 0.15 | 0.06 | |
| Dual task (tablet) | |||
| DTIamplitude (%) | |||
| OFF | − 4.63 (5.65) | − 4.67 (5.78) | 0.98 |
| ON | − 3.30 (5.45) | − 1.98 (4.52) | 0.43 |
| p value | 0.48 | 0.13 | |
| SOS-test (paper) | |||
| Writing quality score (0–10) | |||
| OFF | 4.53 (1.35) | 4.60 (1.67) | 0.88 |
| ON | 3.89 (1.91) | 4.42 (1.80) | 0.39 |
| p value | 0.18 | 0.58 | |
| Cortical excitability | |||
| RMT (%) | |||
| OFF | 47.80 (7.80) | 47.63 (6.06) | 0.94 |
| ON | 47.07 (7.03) | 47.25 (5.96) | 0.94 |
| p value | 0.10 | 0.14 | |
| MEP size (mV) | |||
| OFF | 1.79 (1.13) | 2.07 (2.09) | 0.66 |
| ON | 2.29 (1.62) | 1.89 (1.65) | 0.52 |
| p value | 0.33 | 0.62 | |
| SICI (%) | |||
| OFF | 53.97 (26.62) | 55.01 (35.12) | 0.93 |
| ON | 51.47 (27.17) | 58.29 (38.35) | 0.59 |
| p value | 0.67 | 0.93 | |
DTI dual-task interference, MEP motor evoked potentials, RMT resting motor threshold, SICI short-interval intra-cortical inhibition, SOS-test the ‘Systematic Screening of Handwriting Difficulties’-test, tDCS transcranial direct current stimulation