Neuromodulation via tRNS accelerates learning and enhances in-game performance at a virtual-reality first person shooter game

Background

Recent studies have investigated methods for improving the acquisition of complex visuomotor skills in virtual reality (VR) settings, but the results have been inconclusive.

Objective/Hypothesis

This study aims to examine whether transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, can accelerate the learning process of a VR first-person shooter (VR-FPS) training and its impact on gaming abilities and on cognitive functions.

Methods

After exclusion of 9 subjects due to VR-cybersickness, twenty-two healthy young volunteers (6 females, 16 males; mean age 26.5 ± 4.9 years) participated in a five-day VR-FPS training. The participants were randomly assigned to either the Active (real)-tRNS (n=11) or the Sham (placebo)-tRNS group (n=11). Each day, tRNS targeting an ad-hoc visuo-motor functional brain network was administered for the first two rounds (tRNS ON), but not in the last two rounds out of four (tRNS OFF). The difficulty of the round was adjusted according to the ratio of overwhelmed enemies (O) to the player's defeats (D): (O/D). The participants' shooting skills and cognitive abilities were evaluated before, immediately after and one week after the training (T0, T1, T2).

Results

The Active-tRNS group showed significantly higher O/D performance compared to the Sham-tRNS group (p < .05), particularly during tRNS OFF rounds (p < .05). Additionally, at T2, the Active-tRNS group exhibited significantly better performance in a long-range shooting task than the Sham-tRNS group. Both groups showed improved cognitive abilities at T1 and at T2.

Conclusions

tRNS of an hybrid visuo-motor network can enhance the learning curve of VR-FPS training, with persistent and strong after-effects. This finding has potential applications for both performance training and treatment of clinical conditions.