Anterior TMS Speeds up Responses in Perceptual Decision-making Task

Our preliminary behavioral experiments suggest that the response time decreases when subjects respond to the repeatedly presented visual stimuli. A potential explanation is that the brain preactivates neural ensembles responsible for stimulus processing. If so, activating these areas before the experiment may reduce the response time immediately, opening ways for exciting practical applications. To test this opportunity, we apply transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) before the subjects start performing a perceptual decision-making task. Having compared the response time between the TMS and control groups, we observed a significant change confirming our hypothesis.