THE INFLUENCE OF TDCS INTENSITY ON DECISION-MAKING TRAINING AND TRANSFER OUTCOMES

Author(s):  
Shane E Ehrhardt ◽  
Hannah L. Filmer ◽  
Yohan Wards ◽  
Jason B Mattingley ◽  
Paul E Dux

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to improve single- and dual-task performance in healthy participants and enhance transferable training gains following multiple sessions of combined stimulation and task-practice. However, it has yet to be determined what the optimal stimulation dose is for facilitating such outcomes. We aimed to test the effects of different tDCS intensities, with a commonly used electrode montage, on performance outcomes in a multi-session single/dual-task training and transfer protocol. In a pre-registered study, 123 participants, who were pseudorandomised across four groups, each completed six sessions (pre- and post-training sessions and four combined tDCS and training sessions) and received 20 minutes of prefrontal anodal tDCS at 0.7 mA, 1.0 mA, 2.0 mA, or 15-second sham stimulation. Response time and accuracy were assessed in trained and untrained tasks. The 1.0 mA group showed substantial improvements in single-task reaction time and dual-task accuracy, with additional evidence for improvements in dual-task reaction times, relative to sham performance. This group also showed near transfer to the single-task component of an untrained multitasking paradigm. The 0.7 mA and 2.0 mA intensities varied in which performance measures they improved on the trained task, but in sum, the effects were less robust than for the 1.0 mA group and there was no evidence for the transfer of performance. Our study highlights that training performance gains are augmented by tDCS, but their magnitude and nature are not uniform across stimulation intensity.

1975 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Gopher ◽  
Robert A. North

A one-dimensional compensatory tracking task and a digit-processing, reaction-time task were combined to assess three aspects of training under time–sharing conditions: (1) Manipulation of desired performance levels for dual-task performance comparing performance under single-task demands vs. adjustment to dual-task demands; (2) training under equal and unequal task priorities in time-sharings; (3) reveated sequence of single-dual task presentations. Six groups of 10 subjects participated in the experiment. Larger performance improvements under time–sharing conditions were observed when performance demands were based on dual–task performances than on single-task performances. Training under unequal task priorities revealed that tracking was more sensitive to priority differences than the digit-processing task. Whereas tracking performances improved during single-task training, digit-processing improved only in the time-sharing conditions, suggesting that improvement on the tracking task is in the specific skill of tracking, while digit-processing improvement results from improved time-sharing ability.


Author(s):  
Mark C. Detweiler ◽  
David H. Lundy

In two experiments we examined the effects of single- and dual-task training on the acquisition and transfer of dual-task skill. Subjects performed two consistently mapped (CM) visual search tasks (word-category search and spatial-pattern search). Experiment 1 demonstrated benefits in both reaction time and accuracy for dual-task practice over comparable single-task practice when the two search tasks were combined. Experiment 2 examined the effects of task timing under single-task, synchronous dual-task, and asynchronous dual-task conditions. Benefits similar to those found in the first experiment were obtained. These results suggest that dual-task training can be more effective than single-task training when two dissimilar CM search tasks need to be performed together.


Author(s):  
Harald Ewolds ◽  
Laura Broeker ◽  
Rita F. de Oliveira ◽  
Markus Raab ◽  
Stefan Künzell

Abstract This study examined the effect of instructions and feedback on the integration of two tasks. Task-integration of covarying tasks are thought to help dual-task performance. With complete task integration of covarying dual tasks, a dual task becomes more like a single task and dual-task costs should be reduced as it is no longer conceptualized as a dual task. In the current study we tried to manipulate the extent to which tasks are integrated. We covaried a tracking task with an auditory go/no-go task and tried to manipulate the extent of task-integration by using two different sets of instructions and feedback. A group receiving task-integration promoting instructions and feedback (N = 18) and a group receiving task-separation instructions and feedback (N = 20) trained on a continuous tracking task. The tracking task covaried with the auditory go/no-go reaction time task because high-pitch sounds always occurred 250 ms before turns, which has been demonstrated to foster task integration. The tracking task further contained a repeating segment to investigate implicit learning. Results showed that instructions, feedback, or participants’ conceptualization of performing a single task versus a dual task did not significantly affect task integration. However, the covariation manipulation improved performance in both the tracking and the go/no-go task, exceeding performance in non-covarying and single tasks. We concluded that task integration between covarying motor tasks is a robust phenomenon that is not influenced by instructions or feedback.


2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patima Silsupadol ◽  
Ka-Chun Siu ◽  
Anne Shumway-Cook ◽  
Marjorie H Woollacott

Background and Purpose. Traditionally, rehabilitation programs emphasize training balance under single-task conditions to improve balance and reduce risk for falls. The purpose of this case report is to describe 3 balance training approaches in older adults with impaired balance. Case Descriptions. Three patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 interventions: (1) single-task balance training, (2) dual-task training under a fixed-priority instructional set, and (3) dual-task training under a variable-priority instructional set. Outcomes. The patients who received balance training under dual-task conditions showed dual-task training benefits; these training benefits were maintained for 3 months. The patient who received variable-priority training showed improvement on novel dual tasks. Discussion. Older adults may be able to improve their balance under dual-task conditions only following specific types of balance training. This case report gives insight on how this intervention might be combined with more traditional physical therapy intervention. [Silsupadol P, Siu KC, Shumway-Cook A, Woollacott MH. Training of balance under single- and dual-task conditions in older adults with balance impairment. Phys Ther. 2006;86:269–281.]


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthieu Gallou-Guyot ◽  
Anaick Perrochon ◽  
Romain Marie ◽  
Maxence Bourgeois ◽  
Stephane Mandigout

UNSTRUCTURED The physical and cognitive loads during exergaming may differ from more conventional cognitive-motor dual-task trainings. The aim of this pilot transversal study was to compare exercise intensity during exergame, cognitive-motor dual-task and single-task training sessions. We recruited healthy young adults who carried out one session of each t type of training: exergaming, cognitive-motor dual-tasking and single-tasking. We used a custom-made exergame as support. The sessions lasted 30 minutes, were spaced at least 24 hours, and took place in random order for each group of 4 participants. We used heart rates to assess exercise intensity, and the modified Borg scale to assess their perception of intensity. Sixteen healthy young participants carried out all sessions. There was no difference between the different types of training in mean heart rates (p = 0.3), peak heart rates (p = 0.5) or Borg scale scores (p = 0.4). Our custom-made exergames measured and perceived physical load did not differ between cognitive-motor dual-task and single-task training. As a result, our exergame can be considered as intense as more traditional physical training. Future studies should be conducted in seniors with or without cognitive impairments and should incorporate an assessment of cognitive performance.


2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1184-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
André J. Szameitat ◽  
Torsten Schubert ◽  
Karsten Müller ◽  
D. Yves von Cramon

We report a study that investigated the neuroanatomical correlates of executive functions in dual-task performance with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants performed an auditory and a visual three-choice reaction task either separately as single tasks or concurrently as dual tasks. In the dual-task condition, two stimuli were presented in rapid succession to ensure interference between the component tasks (psychological refractory period). The behavioral data showed considerable performance decrements in the dual-task compared to the single-task condition. Dual-task-related activation was detected with two different neuroimaging methods. First, we determined dual-task-related activation according to the method of cognitive subtraction. For that purpose, activation in the dual-task was compared directly with activation in the single-task conditions. This analysis revealed that cortical areas along the inferior frontal sulcus (IFS), the middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) are involved in dual-task performance. The results of the subtraction method were validated with the method of parametric manipulation. For this purpose, a second dual-task condition was introduced, where the difficulty of the dual-task coordination was increased compared with the first dual-task condition. As expected, behavioral dual-task performance decreased with increased dual-task difficulty. Furthermore, the increased dual-task difficulty led to an increase of activation in those cortical regions that proved to be dual-task related with the subtraction method, that is, the IFS, the MFG, and the IPS. These results support the conclusion that dorsolateral prefrontal and superior parietal cortices are involved in the coordination of concurrent and interfering task processing.


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