A Study On The Effects Of TDCS And Working Memory Training On The Central Executive System Of Military Medical University Students

Countries all around the world have put forward a "brain research plan" in succession,China also put forward the plan of “Brain Science and Brain-Like Intelligence Technology”,and the development and improvement of brain resources have become the research topic of countries.At the present stage,in order to shoulder the heavy responsibility of "being able to fight and win the battle",the actual combat training of our army increases year by year,and the factors determining the success of the war not only depend on the material level,such as weapons and equipment technology,but also depend on the mental strength of both sides.Therefore,how to improve brain function to improve performance in working and combat effectiveness has become a problem that needs to be solved urgently at present.Working memory(WM)is known as the cognitive core of human beings,while the central executive system is considered to be the core of working memory.This study aims to explore the application of transcranial direct current stimulation(tDCS)and working memory training to improve the function of the central executive system of military medical university students through the behavioral results and functional near-infrared spectroscopy’s characteristics,provides objective evidence for new methods to improve the cognitive function of soldiers,which can improve the brain function of soldiers and improve the combat effectiveness of the military.This study includes two parts.In Part 1,52 subjects were randomly divided into three groups for different interventions three times a week and lasting for four weeks.The first group adopted the intervention mode of tDCS and 2-back task training,the second group adopted the intervention mode of 2-back task training,and the third group adopted the intervention mode of tDCS.Standardized procedures was uesd to measure the function of the central executive system before training、after training and 4 weeks after training.The results showed that(1)the capacity and accuracy of updating function,response time and accuracy of shifting functiona and response time and accuracy of inhibition functional of the three groups were significantly improved after training and remained for 4 weeks.(2)on the whole,the training effect of the group using tDCS and 2-back task training is better than that of the group using tDCS or 2-back task training alone.There was no significant difference between using tDCS alone and using 2-back task training alone.In Part 2,30 subjects were selected from Part 1.The functional near-infrared spectrometer was used to measure the resting state and recovery state of subjects before training、after training and 4 weeks after training.The results showed that(1)there was significant difference between the three groups in the Oxy-Hb concentration before training、after training and 4 weeks after training in the recovery state.A decreasing trend was showed in three groups through training.(2)the Oxy-Hb concentration in the resting state significantly increased after training in the group trained with tDCS and 2-back task.Conclusions:(1)Using tDCS combined with WM training,using tDCS alone and using WM training can improve the function of central executive system of military medical university students,and these results can last for more than 4 weeks.(2)From an overall perspective,the combined use of tDCS and WM training improved the function of the central executive system better than the using tDCS alone or using WM training alone.(3)The combined use of tDCS and WM training task improved the activity of DLPFC in resting state after training which can improve the performance in the next task.