Noisy galvanic vestibular stimulation modulates spatial memory in young healthy adults

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragen

Beitragende

Abstract

Hippocampal and striatal circuits play important roles in spatial navigation. These regions integrate environmental information and receive intrinsic afferent inputs from the vestibular system. Past research indicates that galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) is a non-invasive technique that modulates hippocampal and striatal activities. There are also evidences for enhanced motor and cognitive functions through GVS. This study extends previous research to investigate whether noisy GVS may improve hippocampal- and striatal-associated aspects of spatial navigation performance. Using a virtual navigation task, we examined effects of noisy GVS on spatial learning and memory. To probe the participants’ sensitivity to hippocampal- or striatal-associated spatial information, we either enlarged the virtual environment’s boundary or replaced an intra-environmental location cue, respectively. Noisy GVS or sham stimulation was applied online during the learning phase in a within-subject crossover design. The results showed that noisy GVS enhanced spatial learning and the sensitivity foremost to hippocampal-dependent spatial information both in males and females. Individual differences in spatial working memory capacity moderated the effects of GVS, with individuals with lower capacity benefitting more from the stimulation. Furthermore, sex-related differences in GVS effects on the two forms of spatial representations may reflect differences between males and females in preferred spatial strategies.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer9310
Seitenumfang11
FachzeitschriftScientific reports
Jahrgang9
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - 1 Juni 2019
Peer-Review-StatusNein

Externe IDs

Scopus 85068033948
ORCID /0000-0002-5304-4061/work/142238782
ORCID /0000-0001-8409-5390/work/142254931

Schlagworte