tRNS boosts perceptual learning in peripheral vision
Description
We investigate the effect of tRNS on PL and transfer in peripheral high-level visual tasks. We trained two groups of normal-sighted participants in a crowding task at 8° of eccentricity over four consecutive sessions. One group was trained while undergoing a transcranial random noise stimulation and while the other was under fake stimulation. For both groups, we tested both learning and transfer to untrained spatial locations (different eccentricity), orientations, and tasks (visual acuity). The training was conducted on the horizontal crowding task. Participants were divided into two groups tRNS and sham. Each participant underwent three phases: pre-tests, training, and post-tests. Ten of them (five each group) underwent also a follow-up session after three months. During pre and post-tests, thresholds for visual acuity at 8° and 12°, horizontal crowding at 8° and 12° and vertical crowding at 8° and 12° were measured. Both groups underwent four training sessions, one per day during four consecutive days. Each daily session consisted of six blocks, for a total of 24. The folder includes four xls files: BDays, BBlocks, Transfer_tasks, Follow_up BDays: dataset containing between days learning data. BBlocks: dataset containing between blocks learning data. Transfer_tasks: dataset containing pre and post-test data for the trained task plus five different untrained tasks. Variables included in the four files: values = critical space or visual acuity in degrees of visual angle Day = day of training. Day = 1 and Day = 6 only contain one threshold each measured at pre and post-tests respectively, while from Day = 2 to Day = 5 the same task has been repeated six times in each day as a training. VA = visual acuity relative to the participant (VA) Group = the group to which the participant has been assigned. It has two values: tRNS (transcranial random noise stimulation) group and sham (fake stimulation) group. Subject = a number that corresponds to the subject identity. Session = pre-test is considered to be the first session and is represented by the number 1 while post-test is represented by the number 2 and the follow-up by the number 3. task= the type of task the data belongs to. It has 6 different values: 8ORI = horizontal crowding at 8°; 8VERT = vertical crowding at 8°; 12ORI = horizontal crowding at 12°; 12VERT = vertical crowding at 12°; 8VA = visual acuity at 8°; 12VA = visual acuity at 12°.