The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on within- and cross-paradigm transfer following multi-session backward recall training

Byrne, Elizabeth M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5018-5643, Ewbank, Michael P., Gathercole, Susan E. and Holmes, Joni ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6821-2793 (2020) The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on within- and cross-paradigm transfer following multi-session backward recall training. Brain and Cognition, 141. ISSN 0278-2626

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Abstract

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to enhance the efficacy and generalisation of working memory (WM) training, but there has been little systematic investigation into how coupling task-specific WM training with stimulation impacts more specifically on transfer to untrained tasks. This randomised controlled trial investigated the boundary conditions to transfer by testing firstly whether the benefits of training on backward digit recall (BDR) extend to untrained backward recall tasks and n-back tasks with different materials, and secondly which, if any, form of transfer is enhanced by tDCS. Forty-eight participants were allocated to one of three conditions: BDR training with anodal (10 min, 1 mA) or sham tDCS, or visual search training with sham tDCS, applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Transfer was assessed on within- (backward recall with digits, letters, and spatial locations) and cross-paradigm (n-back with digits and letters) transfer tests following three sessions of training and stimulation. On-task training gains were found, with transfer to other backward span but not n-back tasks. There was little evidence that tDCS enhanced on-task training or transfer. These findings indicate that training enhances paradigm-specific processes within WM, but that tDCS does not enhance these gains.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Funding Information: This work was supported a PhD studentship awarded to the first author by the Medical Research Council under intramural award RG91365. Acknowledgements: We thank Krishna Kumar who provided technical guidance and our collaborator Thomas Redick who provided the visual search training task adapted for this experiment.
Uncontrolled Keywords: brain stimulation,cognitive training,tdcs,transcranial direct current stimulation,working memory,neuropsychology and physiological psychology,experimental and cognitive psychology,developmental and educational psychology,arts and humanities (miscellaneous),cognitive neuroscience,sdg 3 - good health and well-being,3*,contribution to field is high, rigourous design ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/3200/3206
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
UEA Research Groups: Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Developmental Science
Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Cognition, Action and Perception
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Depositing User: LivePure Connector
Date Deposited: 20 Oct 2021 03:31
Last Modified: 04 Dec 2024 01:35
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/81825
DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105552

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