Combined Transcranial Electrical Stimulation and Exergaming for Cognitive Motor Training

The overall objective of this pilot study is to identify brain regions that characterize or manipulate cognitive effort in activities that involve both cognitive and motor efforts (dual-task), and to examine the neuromodulatory effect of different non-invasive neuromodulatory stimulation methods of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 4 Hz and 30 Hz versus sham. The experiment utilized hand kinematic data collected from the LEAP motion controller along with EEG data to examine the effects of a custom-built car racing exergame on cognitive processes. Participants were instructed to memorize one or three objects and subsequently engaged in the game, which involved collecting coins, memorized objects, and avoiding traffic cones and novel objects. Preliminary results indicated higher desynchronization in sensorimotor regions during the condition with three objects, suggesting a greater neuromodulatory effect with increased cognitive effort.