By Vijay Kumar MalesuMay 31 2024Reviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM In a recent study published in Nature Human Behaviour, researchers investigated the causal contribution of specific oscillatory activity patterns within the human striatum to reinforcement motor learning using transcranial temporal interference stimulation with concurrent neuroimaging.
Understanding how different frequencies of tTIS impact neural activity and influence motor learning could reveal crucial insights into the striatal contribution to these processes. Further research is needed to explore these relationships and develop targeted motor skill enhancement and rehabilitation interventions.
Participants performed a motor learning task with concurrent tTIS of the striatum and fMRI using a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled design. They practiced six blocks of trials, combining two reinforcement feedback conditions with three types of striatal stimulation . Study results A total of 24 healthy participants performed a force-tracking task in an MRI scanner with concurrent tTIS of the striatum. The task required participants to modulate the force applied to a hand-grip sensor to track a moving target with a cursor using their dominant hand. Each block introduced a new pattern of motion for the target.
To assess tTIS effects on reinforcement-related motor learning benefits and neural changes, participants completed six blocks of 36 trials with concurrent tTIS during training, delivered at either 20 Hz , 80 Hz or as a sham . The condition order was balanced to reduce carry-over effects.