Gann MA, Dolfen N, King BR, Robertson EM, Albouy G. Prefrontal stimulation as a tool to disrupt hippocampal and striatal reactivations underlying fast motor memory consolidation.
Brain Stimul 2023;
16:1336-1345. [PMID:
37647985 DOI:
10.1016/j.brs.2023.08.022]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Recent evidence suggests that hippocampal replay in humans support rapid motor memory consolidation during epochs of wakefulness interleaved with task practice.
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESES
The goal of this study was to test whether such reactivation patterns can be modulated with experimental interventions and in turn influence fast consolidation. We hypothesized that non-invasive brain stimulation targeting hippocampal and striatal networks via the prefrontal cortex would influence brain reactivation and the rapid form of motor memory consolidation.
METHODS
Theta-burst stimulation was applied to a prefrontal cluster functionally connected to both the hippocampus and striatum of young healthy participants before they learned a motor sequence task in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. Neuroimaging data acquired during task practice and the interleaved rest epochs were analyzed to comprehensively characterize the effect of stimulation on the neural processes supporting fast motor memory consolidation.
RESULTS
Our results collectively show that active, as compared to control, theta-burst stimulation of the prefrontal cortex hindered fast motor memory consolidation. Converging evidence from both univariate and multivariate analyses of fMRI data indicate that active stimulation disrupted hippocampal and caudate responses during inter-practice rest, presumably altering the reactivation of learning-related patterns during the micro-offline consolidation episodes. Last, stimulation altered the link between the brain and the behavioral markers of the fast consolidation process.
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that stimulation targeting deep brain regions via the prefrontal cortex can be used to modulate hippocampal and striatal reactivations in the human brain and influence motor memory consolidation.
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