Post-training TMS abolishes performance improvement and releases future learning from interference

Ji Won Bang,Dobromir Rahnev,Diana Milton,Yuka Sasaki,Takeo Watanabe

doi:10.1038/s42003-019-0566-4

Abstract

The period immediately after the offset of visual training is thought to be critical for memory consolidation. Nevertheless, we still lack direct evidence for the causal role of this period to perceptual learning of either previously or subsequently trained material. To address these issues, we had human subjects complete two consecutive trainings with different tasks (detecting different Gabor orientations). We applied continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to either the visual cortex or a control site (vertex) immediately after the offset of the first training. In the vertex cTBS condition, subjects showed improvement on the first task but not on the second task, suggesting the presence of anterograde interference. Critically, cTBS to the visual cortex abolished the performance improvement on the first task and released the second training from the anterograde interference. These results provide causal evidence for a role of the immediate post-training period in the consolidation of perceptual learning.

Highlights

The period immediately after the offset of visual training is thought to be critical for memory consolidation
We investigated whether directly disrupting the post training neural processes in the visual cortex has a causal effect on visual perceptual learning
We examined the effects of visual cortex continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) on the learning for the orientation trained immediately before cTBS application, as well as for the second Gabor orientation trained 1 h later

Summary

Introduction

The period immediately after the offset of visual training is thought to be critical for memory consolidation. Several such studies demonstrated that TMS to the primary motor cortex after the offset of training can abolish the performance improvement of the preceding training[7,8,9], providing strong evidence for the causal role of the neural processes during the post training period in the consolidation of motor learning. We conducted a two-way mixed measures ANOVA on the performance improvement from the pre- to the post-training test with factors cTBS site (between-subjects factor: visual cortex vs vertex) and training category (within-subjects factor: trained first vs trained second).

Results

Conclusion