Motor Task-Dependent Dissociated Effects of Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation in a Finger-Tapping Task Versus a Go/No-Go Task on Corticospinal Excitability and Task Performance

AbstractSham stimulation is used in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the efficacy of active stimulation and placebo effects. It should mimic the characteristics of active stimulation to achieve blinding integrity. The present study was a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature to identify the effects of sham transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) – including anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS, c-tDCS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) and transcranial pulsed current stimulation (tPCS) – on corticospinal excitability (CSE), compared to baseline in healthy individuals. Electronic databases – PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Science Direct and MEDLINE (Ovid) – were searched for RCTs of tES from 1990 to March 2017. Thirty RCTs were identified. Using a random-effects model, meta-analysis of a-tDCS, c-tDCS, tACS, tRNS and tPCS studies showed statistically non-significant pre-post effects of sham interventions on CSE. This review found evidence for statically non-significant effects of sham tES on CSE.

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Online Transcranial Random Noise stimulation improves perception at high levels of visual white noise

10.1101/2020.06.22.165969 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Michael D. Melnick ◽

Woon Ju Park ◽

Sholei Croom ◽

Shuyi Chen ◽

Lorella Batelli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Noise ◽

Task Performance ◽

Visual Processing ◽

Random Noise ◽

External Noise ◽

Orientation Discrimination ◽

Perceptual Training ◽

Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation ◽

Perceptual Performance ◽

Underlying Mechanisms

AbstractTranscranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), a relatively recent addition to the field of non-invasive, electrical brain stimulation, has been shown to improve perceptual and cognitive functions across a wide variety of tasks. However, the underlying mechanisms of visual improvements caused by tRNS remain unclear. To study this question, we employed a well-established, equivalent-noise approach, which measures perceptual performance at various levels of external noise and is formalized by the Perceptual Template Model (PTM). This approach has been used extensively to infer the underlying mechanisms behind changes in visual processing, including those from perceptual training, adaptation and attention. Here, we used tRNS during an orientation discrimination task in the presence of increasing quantities of external visual white noise and fit the PTM to gain insights into the effects of tRNS on visual processing. Our results show that tRNS improves visual processing when stimulation is applied during task performance, but only at high levels of external visual white noise—a signature of improved external noise filtering. There were no significant effects of tRNS on task performance after the stimulation period. Of interest, the reported effects of tRNS on visual processing mimic those previously reported for endogenous spatial attention, offering a potential area of investigation for future work.

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The Effect of tRNS on Performance: A Pilot Study with a Skilled Air-Pistol Shooter

Biofeedback ◽

10.5298/1081-5937-43.2.02 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 43 (2) ◽

pp. 84-89 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Vincenza Tommasi ◽

Giulia Prete ◽

Selenia di Fronso ◽

Lorenzo Schinaia ◽

Chiara Lucafò ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Random Noise ◽

Motor Task ◽

Training System ◽

Cognitive Resources ◽

Visual Spatial ◽

Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation ◽

The Right ◽

The Brain

The aim of the study was to investigate the possible effects on the performance of a skilled shooter of the delivery of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) to the right parietal and left frontal areas of the brain. An athlete (35-year-old male) with 16 years of shooting experience was involved in the study. The participant performed 40 shots in two different sessions (sham and tRNS) during which his performance was assessed using the SCATT shooter training system, while physiological and postural data were collected. Findings showed that tRNS stimulation can improve shooting performance. Considering heart rate as an index of arousal, it is evident that its increase during the tRNS is consistent with the hypothesis that arousal plays an important role in modulating selective attention. Probably this is caused by the increase of cognitive resources devoted to help, maintain, and sustain attention for the time necessary to perform the visual–spatial–motor task.

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Cerebral activation and task performance during a simple motor task: A study with functional magnetic resonance imaging

NeuroImage ◽

10.1016/s1053-8119(96)80415-0 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. S413

Author(s):

J. Schröder ◽

K. Baudendistel ◽

M. Essig ◽

L.R. Schad ◽

J. Pantel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽

Magnetic Resonance ◽

Task Performance ◽

Motor Task ◽

Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽

Resonance Imaging ◽

Cerebral Activation ◽

Simple Motor ◽

Simple Motor Task ◽

And Task

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Evaluating Aftereffects of Short-Duration Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation on Cortical Excitability

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2011/105927 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Leila Chaieb ◽

Walter Paulus ◽

Andrea Antal

Keyword(s):

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Cortical Excitability ◽

Random Noise ◽

Single Pulse ◽

Corticospinal Excitability ◽

After Effects ◽

Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation ◽

Before And After ◽

Baseline Levels ◽

Minimal Stimulation

A 10-minute application of highfrequency (100–640 Hz) transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) over the primary motor cortex (M1) increases baseline levels of cortical excitability, lasting around 1 hr poststimulation Terney et al. (2008). We have extended previous work demonstrating this effect by decreasing the stimulation duration to 4, 5, and 6 minutes to assess whether a shorter duration of tRNS can also induce a change in cortical excitability. Single-pulse monophasic transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to measure baseline levels of cortical excitability before and after tRNS. A 5- and 6-minute tRNS application induced a significant facilitation. 4-minute tRNS produced no significant aftereffects on corticospinal excitability. Plastic after effects after tRNS on corticospinal excitability require a minimal stimulation duration of 5 minutes. However, the duration of the aftereffect of 5-min tRNS is very short compared to previous studies using tRNS. Developing different transcranial stimulation techniques may be fundamental in understanding how excitatory and inhibitory networks in the human brain can be modulated and how each technique can be optimised for a controlled and effective application.

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High variability impairs motor learning regardless of whether it affects task performance

10.1101/111823 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marco Cardis ◽

Maura Casadio ◽

Rajiv Ranganathan

Keyword(s):

Motor Learning ◽

Task Performance ◽

Null Space ◽

Motor Task ◽

High Variability ◽

Task Space ◽

Movement Variability ◽

Motor Variability ◽

Left And Right ◽

And Task

AbstractMotor variability plays an important role in motor learning, although the exact mechanisms of how variability affects learning is not well understood. Recent evidence suggests that motor variability may have different effects on learning in redundant tasks, depending on whether it is present in the task space (where it affects task performance), or in the null space (where it has no effect on task performance). Here we examined the effect of directly introducing null and task space variability using a manipulandum during the learning of a motor task. Participants learned a bimanual shuffleboard task for 2 days, where their goal was to slide a virtual puck as close as possible towards a target. Critically, the distance traveled by the puck was determined by the sum of the left and right hand velocities, which meant that there was redundancy in the task. Participants were divided into five groups – based on both the dimension in which the variability was introduced and the amount of variability that was introduced during training. Results showed that although all groups were able to reduce error with practice, learning was affected more by the amount of variability introduced rather than the dimension in which variability was introduced. Specifically, groups with higher movement variability during practice showed larger errors at the end of practice compared to groups that had low variability during learning. These results suggest that although introducing variability can increase exploration of new solutions, this may come at a cost of decreased stability of the learned solution.

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Influence of Anticipation and Motor-Motor Task Performance on Cutting Biomechanics in Healthy Men

Journal of Athletic Training ◽

10.4085/1062-6050-569-18 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 55 (8) ◽

pp. 834-842

Author(s):

Grant E. Norte ◽

Taylor R. Frendt ◽

Amanda M. Murray ◽

Charles W. Armstrong ◽

Thomas J. McLoughlin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Task Performance ◽

Confidence Intervals ◽

Injury Risk ◽

Knee Injury ◽

Task Complexity ◽

Motor Task ◽

Trunk Flexion ◽

Trunk Position ◽

Cutting Direction ◽

And Task

Context Biomechanical analyses of cutting tasks have demonstrated kinematic differences associated with the noncontact knee-injury risk when the movement direction is unanticipated. Motor-motor dual tasks occur within dynamic environments and change the demand for attentional resources needed to complete athletic maneuvers, which may contribute to injury risk. Objective To investigate the influence of anticipation and motor-motor task performance on cutting biomechanics. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Laboratory. Patients or Other Participants A total of 32 healthy, recreationally active men (age = 23.1 ± 3.6 years, height = 180.0 ± 7.0 cm, mass = 81.3 ± 17.3 kg) who self-reported regular participation in cutting sports. Intervention(s) Participants performed a 45° side-step cut on the dominant limb in a random order of conditions: anticipation (anticipated, unanticipated) and task (no ball throw, ball fake, ball throw). Main Outcome Measure(s) Triplanar trunk, hip, and knee angles were assessed throughout the stance phase using 3-dimensional motion capture. Data were analyzed using a time series of means calculated from initial contact to toe-off (0%–100%) with 90% confidence intervals. Mean differences between conditions were identified as regions of nonoverlapping confidence intervals, and those that occurred during the region of peak vertical ground reaction force (0%–25%) are presented. Results Regardless of anticipation, attending to a ball (ball throw) resulted in more trunk extension (range = 2.9°–3.7°) and less lateral trunk flexion toward the cutting direction (range = 5.2°–5.9°). Planning to attend to a ball (ball fake) resulted in less lateral trunk flexion toward the cutting direction (4.7°). During unanticipated cutting, more trunk rotation away from the cutting direction was observed when attending to a ball (range = 5.3°–7.1°). The interaction of anticipation and task had a similar influence on sagittal- and frontal-plane trunk position. Conclusions Motor-motor task performance and its interaction with anticipation induced an upright, neutral trunk position during side-step cutting, which has been associated with the risk for noncontact knee injury. Promoting task complexity during rehabilitation and injury-prevention programs may better prepare individuals to succeed when performing high-risk athletic maneuvers.

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The effect of transcranial random noise stimulation on corticospinal excitability and motor performance

Neuroscience Letters ◽

10.1016/j.neulet.2019.04.049 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 705 ◽

pp. 138-142 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Takafumi Abe ◽

Shota Miyaguchi ◽

Naofumi Otsuru ◽

Hideaki Onishi

Keyword(s):

Motor Performance ◽

Random Noise ◽

Corticospinal Excitability ◽

Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation

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Individual Differences in Tapping Performance as a Function of Time on the Task

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1971.33.2.375 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 375-378 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Glenn D. Wilson ◽

Olive A. Tunstall ◽

H. J. Eysenck

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Task Performance ◽

Individual Difference ◽

Finger Tapping ◽

Criterion Measure ◽

Motivational Variable ◽

Individual Difference Variables ◽

Positive Correlations ◽

The Relationship ◽

And Task

A group of 187 apprentices were given two sessions on a 1-min. finger-tapping task in which output was taken as the criterion measure. Various individual difference variables changed in the degree and direction of their association with tapping performance as a function of time through the session, presumably reflecting a motivational variable such as persistence. Positive correlations between intelligence and tapping performance became progressively greater toward the end of each 1-min. period, and while high n Ach Ss and extraverts began tapping at a faster rate than low n Ach Ss and introverts, this pattern had reversed by the end of the 1-min. practice periods. It is concluded that studies of the relationship between individual difference variables and task performance must take account of changes which occur as a result of “time into the task.”

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