scholarly journals Boosting learning efficacy with non-invasive brain stimulation in intact and brain-damaged humans

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Herpich ◽  
Michael D Melnick ◽  
Sara Agosta ◽  
Krystel Huxlin ◽  
Duje Tadin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Motion ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Cortical Blindness ◽  
Motion Processing ◽  
Visual Training ◽  
Visual Motion Perception ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Behavioral Studies ◽  
Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation ◽  
Learning Efficacy

Numerous behavioral studies have shown that visual function can improve with training, although perceptual refinements generally require weeks to months of training to attain. This, along with questions about long-term retention of learning, limits practical and clinical applications of many such paradigms. Here, we show for the first time that just 10 days of visual training coupled with transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) over visual areas causes dramatic improvements in visual motion perception. Relative to control conditions and anodal stimulation, tRNS-enhanced learning was at least twice as fast, and, crucially, it persisted for 6 months after the end of training and stimulation. Notably, tRNS also boosted learning in patients with chronic cortical blindness, leading to recovery of motion processing in the blind field after just 10 days of training, a period too short to elicit enhancements with training alone. In sum, our results reveal a remarkable enhancement of the capacity for long-lasting plastic and restorative changes when a neuromodulatory intervention is coupled with visual training.

Boosting vision through combined perceptual learning and non-invasive transcranial random noise stimulation

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 319
Author(s):  
Rebecca Camilleri ◽  
Andrea Pavan ◽  
Antonella Veronese ◽  
Giuseppe Lo Giudice ◽  
Gianluca Campana
Keyword(s):  
Perceptual Learning ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation

scholarly journals Exploring and explaining properties of motion processing in biological brains using a neural network

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reuben Rideaux ◽  
Andrew E Welchman
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Motion Perception ◽  
Visual Motion ◽  
Temporal Frequency ◽  
Biological Systems ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Biological Response ◽  
High Spatial Frequency ◽  
Motion Processing ◽  
Visual Motion Perception

ABSTRACTVisual motion perception underpins behaviours ranging from navigation to depth perception and grasping. Our limited access to biological systems constrain our understanding of how motion is processed within the brain. Here we explore properties of motion perception in biological systems by training a neural network (‘MotionNetxy’) to estimate the velocity image sequences. The network recapitulates key characteristics of motion processing in biological brains, and we use our complete access to its structure explore and understand motion (mis)perception at the computational-, neural-, and perceptual-levels. First, we find that the network recapitulates the biological response to reverse-phi motion in terms of direction. We further find that it overestimates the speed of slow reverse-phi motion while underestimating the speed of fast reverse-phi motion because of the correlation between reverse-phi motion and the spatiotemporal receptive fields tuned to motion in opposite directions. Second, we find that the distribution of spatiotemporal tuning properties in the V1 and MT layers of the network are similar to those observed in biological systems. We then show that compared to MT units tuned to fast speeds, those tuned to slow speeds primarily receive input from V1 units tuned to high spatial frequency and low temporal frequency. Third, we find that there is a positive correlation between the pattern-motion and speed selectivity of MT units. Finally, we show that the network captures human underestimation of low coherence motion stimuli, and that this is due to pooling of noise and signal motion. These findings provide biologically plausible explanations for well-known phenomena, and produce concrete predictions for future psychophysical and neurophysiological experiments.

scholarly journals Repetitive visual cortex transcranial random noise stimulation in adults with amblyopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Donkor ◽  
Andrew E. Silva ◽  
Caroline Teske ◽  
Margaret Wallis-Duffy ◽  
Aaron P. Johnson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Contrast Sensitivity ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Active Group ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation ◽  
Fellow Eyes

AbstractWe tested the hypothesis that five daily sessions of visual cortex transcranial random noise stimulation would improve contrast sensitivity, crowded and uncrowded visual acuity in adults with amblyopia. Nineteen adults with amblyopia (44.2 ± 14.9 years, 10 female) were randomly allocated to active or sham tRNS of the visual cortex (active, n = 9; sham, n = 10). Sixteen participants completed the study (n = 8 per group). tRNS was delivered for 25 min across five consecutive days. Monocular contrast sensitivity, uncrowded and crowded visual acuity were measured before, during, 5 min and 30 min post stimulation on each day. Active tRNS significantly improved contrast sensitivity and uncrowded visual acuity for both amblyopic and fellow eyes whereas sham stimulation had no effect. An analysis of the day by day effects revealed large within session improvements on day 1 for the active group that waned across subsequent days. No long-lasting (multi-day) improvements were observed for contrast sensitivity, however a long-lasting improvement in amblyopic eye uncrowded visual acuity was observed for the active group. This improvement remained at 28 day follow up. However, between-group differences in baseline uncrowded visual acuity complicate the interpretation of this effect. No effect of tRNS was observed for amblyopic eye crowded visual acuity. In agreement with previous non-invasive brain stimulation studies using different techniques, tRNS induced short-term contrast sensitivity improvements in adult amblyopic eyes, however, repeated sessions of tRNS did not lead to enhanced or long-lasting effects for the majority of outcome measures.

scholarly journals Non-Invasive Neuromodulation for Tinnitus

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 113-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Berthold Langguth
Keyword(s):  
Random Noise ◽  
Transcranial Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Somatosensory Stimulation ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation ◽  
Pilot Trials ◽  
Valuable Treatment ◽  
Further Development ◽  
The Brain

Tinnitus is a prevalent disorder that has no cure currently. Within the last two decades, neuroscientific research has facilitated a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie the generation and maintenance of tinnitus, and the brain and nerves have been identified as potential targets for its treatment using non-invasive brain stimulation methods. This article reviews studies on tinnitus patients using transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial electrical stimulation, such as transcranial direct current stimulation, alternating current stimulation, transcranial random noise stimulation as well as transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation and bimodal combined auditory and somatosensory stimulation. Although none of these approaches has demonstrated effects that would justify its use in routine treatment, the studies have provided important insights into tinnitus pathophysiology. Moreover bimodal stimulation, which has only been developed recently, has shown promising results in pilot trials and is a candidate for further development into a valuable treatment procedure.

scholarly journals Impact of chronic transcranial Random-Noise Stimulation (tRNS) on prefrontal cortex excitation-inhibition balance in juvenile mice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos A. Sánchez-León ◽  
Álvaro Sánchez-López ◽  
María A. Gómez-Climent ◽  
Isabel Cordones ◽  
Roi Cohen Kadosh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Sham Group ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Immunohistochemical Analysis ◽  
Mechanistic Explanation ◽  
Excitatory Effect ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation ◽  
Gad 65

AbstractTranscranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), a non-invasive neuromodulatory technique capable of altering cortical activity, has been proposed to improve the signal-to-noise ratio at the neuronal level and the sensitivity of the neurons following an inverted U-function. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of tRNS on vGLUT1 and GAD 65-67 and its safety in terms of pathological changes. For that, juvenile mice were randomly distributed in three different groups: “tRNS 1x” receiving tRNS at the density current used in humans (0.3 A/m2, 20 min), “tRNS 100x” receiving tRNS at two orders of magnitude higher (30.0 A/m2, 20 min) and “sham” (0.3 A/m2, 15 s). Nine tRNS sessions during five weeks were administered to the prefrontal cortex of alert animals. No detectable tissue macroscopic lesions were observed after tRNS sessions. Post-stimulation immunohistochemical analysis of GAD 65-67 and vGLUT1 immunoreactivity showed a reduced GAD 65-67 immunoreactivity levels in the region directly beneath the electrode for tRNS 1x group with no significant effects in the tRNS 100x nor sham group. The observed results points to an excitatory effect associated with a decrease in GABA levels in absence of major histopathological alterations providing a novel mechanistic explanation for tRNS effects.

scholarly journals Opposed effects of high- vs. low-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation on visual motion adaptation

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 1187
Author(s):  
Gianluca Campana ◽  
Rebecca Camilleri ◽  
Beatrice Moret ◽  
Andrea Pavan
Keyword(s):  
Visual Motion ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Motion Adaptation ◽  
Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation

scholarly journals Visual Motion Processing and Visual Sensorimotor Control in Autism

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukari Takarae ◽  
Beatriz Luna ◽  
Nancy J. Minshew ◽  
John A. Sweeney
Keyword(s):  
Visual Motion ◽  
Sensorimotor Control ◽  
Motion Processing ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Visual Motion Perception ◽  
Visual Pursuit ◽  
Visual Motion Processing ◽  
Pursuit Tracking ◽  
Passive Viewing ◽  
Active Pursuit

AbstractImpairments in visual motion perception and use of visual motion information to guide behavior have been reported in autism, but the brain alterations underlying these abnormalities are not well characterized. We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies to investigate neural correlates of impairments related to visual motion processing. Sixteen high-functioning individuals with autism and 14 age and IQ-matched typically developing individuals completed two fMRI tasks using passive viewing to examine bottom–up responses to visual motion and visual pursuit tracking to assess top–down modulation of visual motion processing during sensorimotor control. The autism group showed greater activation and faster hemodynamic decay in V5 during the passive viewing task and reduced frontal and V5 activation during visual pursuit. The observations of increased V5 activation and its faster decay during passive viewing suggest alterations in local V5 circuitries that may be associated with reduced GABAergic tone and inhibitory modulation. Reduced frontal and V5 activation during active pursuit suggest reduced top–down modulation of sensory processing. These results suggest that both local intrinsic abnormalities in V5 and more widely distributed network level abnormalities are associated with visual motion processing in autism. (JINS, 2014, 20, 113–122)

scholarly journals Opposite effects of high- and low-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation probed with visual motion adaptation

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianluca Campana ◽  
Rebecca Camilleri ◽  
Beatrice Moret ◽  
Filippo Ghin ◽  
Andrea Pavan
Keyword(s):  
Visual Motion ◽  
Random Noise ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Motion Adaptation ◽  
Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document