Brain stimulation boosts perceptual learning by altering sensory GABAergic plasticity and functional connectivity
Brain stimulation boosts perceptual learning by altering sensory GABAergic plasticity and functional connectivity
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DOI：
10.1101/2021.09.13.459793
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发表时间：
2021-09
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Vasilis M. Karlaftis;Polytimi Frangou;Cameron Higgins;D. Vidaurre;Joseph J. Ziminski;C. Stagg;U. Emir;Z. Kourtzi
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文献类型：
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作者：
Vasilis M. Karlaftis;Polytimi Frangou;Cameron Higgins;D. Vidaurre;Joseph J. Ziminski;C. Stagg;U. Emir;Z. Kourtzi
解读杂乱的场景--成功与环境互动的关键技能--依赖于我们在过滤噪音的同时选择相关感官信号的能力。众所周知，训练可以通过改变大脑感觉区域的局部处理来提高我们做出这些感知判断的能力。然而，介导我们感知学习能力的全脑网络机制在很大程度上仍然未知。在这里，我们结合联合收割机经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）与多模式的大脑措施，以调节皮质兴奋性在训练过程中的信号在噪声中的任务（即检测噪声中的视觉模式）和直接测试之间的联系在视觉皮层的处理和它的相互作用与决策相关的领域（即后顶叶皮层）。我们测试脑刺激是否会改变视觉皮层的抑制性处理，通过GABA的磁共振波谱（MRS）和视觉和后顶叶皮层之间的功能连接，通过静息状态功能磁共振成像（RS-fMRI）测量。我们表明，在训练过程中的阳极tDCS导致更快的学习和减少GABA+在训练过程中，这些变化发生之前，没有刺激的训练（即假）。此外，阳极tDCS减少枕顶相互作用和视皮层的时变连接。我们的研究结果表明，tDCS通过加速视觉GABA能可塑性和改变视觉和决策相关区域之间的相互作用来促进学习，这表明训练优化了增益控制机制（即GABA能抑制）和功能性区域间相互作用，以支持感知学习。
Interpreting cluttered scenes —a key skill for successfully interacting with our environment— relies on our ability to select relevant sensory signals while filtering out noise. Training is known to improve our ability to make these perceptual judgements by altering local processing in sensory brain areas. Yet, the brain-wide network mechanisms that mediate our ability for perceptual learning remain largely unknown. Here, we combine transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) with multi-modal brain measures to modulate cortical excitability during training on a signal-in-noise task (i.e. detection of visual patterns in noise) and test directly the link between processing in visual cortex and its interactions with decision-related areas (i.e. posterior parietal cortex). We test whether brain stimulation alters inhibitory processing in visual cortex, as measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of GABA and functional connectivity between visual and posterior parietal cortex, as measured by resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). We show that anodal tDCS during training results in faster learning and decreased GABA+ during training, before these changes occur for training without stimulation (i.e. sham). Further, anodal tDCS decreases occipito-parietal interactions and time-varying connectivity across the visual cortex. Our findings demonstrate that tDCS boosts learning by accelerating visual GABAergic plasticity and altering interactions between visual and decision-related areas, suggesting that training optimises gain control mechanisms (i.e. GABAergic inhibition) and functional inter-areal interactions to support perceptual learning.