Enhancing visual-spatial learning by focalized transcranial direct current stimulation

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Visual-spatial episodic memory formation, including object-location memory, is crucial for adapting to changing environments throughout life, and is known to decline in aging and aging-associated diseases. Given that this type of memory is inherently ecologically relevant and necessary for a variety of tasks in everyday life, this project will specifically investigate the neural mechanisms and predictors underlying enhancement of this process by individualized, focal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In the long-run, outcomes of this project will contribute to improving treatment of patients with neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., dementia and its precursors) or neurological injury (post-stroke visuo-spatial deficits). Within the broader context of the Research Unit, the present study is one of eight projects investigating tDCS effects on learning and memory formation across functional domains (Projects 1-8). The highly systematic and coordinated approach pursued by these empirical projects will allow for the first time analyzing the underlying neural mechanisms and predictors of behavioural stimulation response not only within each project, but also across the different tasks and functional domains (in Project 9).The current project will contribute unique information on how tDCS modulates spatial episodic memory formation, thereby complementing the investigation of tDCS-induced enhancement of spatial working memory in Project 2 (PI Blankenburg). Comparison with results obtained from Project 3, that uses a similar learning paradigm to investigate verbal episodic memory formation (PI Meinzer), will allow to investigate domain specificity of outcomes. Collectively, the results of the empirical projects of the Research Unit will increase our current understanding of tDCS-induced neural network effects, their regional specificity and the mechanisms underlying inter-individual variability of stimulation effects. From a methodological point of view, data acquired in these projects will contribute to optimizing and validating biophysical models of current flow (in P9+10), thereby advancing future experimental and translational applications of tDCS in health and disease.