Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy; Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
Grace Edwards
Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy; Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States
Sarah Tyler
Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy; Butte College, Oroville, United States
Danielle Parrott
Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy; Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
Emily Grossman
Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, United States
Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems@UniTn, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rovereto, Italy; Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy; Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United States; Department of Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel, Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
Transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) can enhance vision in the healthy and diseased brain. Yet, the impact of multi-day tRNS on large-scale cortical networks is still unknown. We investigated the impact of tRNS coupled with behavioral training on resting-state functional connectivity and attention. We trained human subjects for 4 consecutive days on two attention tasks, while receiving tRNS over the intraparietal sulci, the middle temporal areas, or Sham stimulation. We measured resting-state functional connectivity of nodes of the dorsal and ventral attention network (DVAN) before and after training. We found a strong behavioral improvement and increased connectivity within the DVAN after parietal stimulation only. Crucially, behavioral improvement positively correlated with connectivity measures. We conclude changes in connectivity are a marker for the enduring effect of tRNS upon behavior. Our results suggest that tRNS has strong potential to augment cognitive capacity in healthy individuals and promote recovery in the neurological population.
