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Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
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Post-training stimulation of the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex impairs working memory training performance
Jacky Au1, Benjamin Katz2, Austin Moon1
1School of Education, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
Journal of Neuroscience Research
|January 13, 2021
Summary
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied during cognitive training did not enhance working memory. However, offline stimulation after training impaired performance, suggesting caution is needed for tDCS cognitive enhancement applications.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuromodulation
Background:
- Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is investigated for enhancing cognitive training and plasticity.
- Previous studies showed benefits of concurrent tDCS on working memory training, but optimal parameters remain unclear.
- Stimulation timing is a critical variable interacting with task learning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of online versus offline tDCS applied to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during visuospatial working memory training.
- To investigate the effects of stimulation timing on cognitive training outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Participants underwent visuospatial working memory training with concurrent (online) or temporally separated (offline) tDCS targeting the right DLPFC.
- Three conditions were compared: online stimulation, offline stimulation (before or after training), and sham stimulation.
Main Results:
- Previously reported benefits of online tDCS for working memory training were not replicated.
- Offline tDCS delivered after training demonstrated detrimental effects on performance compared to sham stimulation.
- The findings suggest a potential role of the right DLPFC in memory interference, modulated by tDCS timing.
Conclusions:
- tDCS shows potential for influencing cognitive training, but its application for cognitive enhancement requires further research and caution.
- Intervention parameters, particularly stimulation timing and location, significantly impact tDCS effects, necessitating a deeper understanding of these variables.
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