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Narmashiri A, Akbari F. The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on the Cognitive Functions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Neuropsychol Rev 2023:10.1007/s11065-023-09627-x. [PMID: 38060075 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-023-09627-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have investigated the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive functions. However, these studies reported inconsistent results due to differences in experiment design, measurements, and stimulation parameters. Nonetheless, there is a lack of meta-analyses and review studies on tDCS and its impact on cognitive functions, including working memory, inhibition, flexibility, and theory of mind. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of tDCS studies published from the earliest available data up to October 2021, including studies reporting the effects of tDCS on cognitive functions in human populations. Therefore, these systematic review and meta-analysis aim to comprehensively analyze the effects of anodal and cathodal tDCS on cognitive functions by investigating 69 articles with a total of 5545 participants. Our study reveals significant anodal tDCS effects on various cognitive functions. Specifically, we observed improvements in working memory reaction time (RT), inhibition RT, flexibility RT, theory of mind RT, working memory accuracy, theory of mind accuracy and flexibility accuracy. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate noteworthy cathodal tDCS effects, enhancing working memory accuracy, inhibition accuracy, flexibility RT, flexibility accuracy, theory of mind RT, and theory of mind accuracy. Notably, regarding the influence of stimulation parameters of tDCS on cognitive functions, the results indicated significant differences across various aspects, including the timing of stimulation (online vs. offline studies), population type (clinical vs. healthy studies), stimulation duration (< 15 min vs. > 15 min), electrical current intensities (1-1.5 m.A vs. > 1.5 m.A), stimulation sites (right frontal vs. left frontal studies), age groups (young vs. older studies), and different cognitive tasks in each cognitive functioning aspect. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that tDCS can effectively enhance cognitive task performance, offering valuable insights into the potential benefits of this method for cognitive improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdolvahed Narmashiri
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran.
- Electrical Engineering Department, Bio-Intelligence Research Unit, Sharif Brain Center, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
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Zhang Q, Chen T, Liu S, Liu X, Zhang Y, Yu F, Ji GJ, Li X, Zhu C. Effects of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation on implicit emotion regulation of social pain in healthy individuals. J Affect Disord 2023; 338:74-82. [PMID: 37269884 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.05.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Implicit emotion regulation (ER), a form of ER, is essential for protecting mental health in the process of social interaction. Both the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) have been shown to be involved in ER processes, including explicit ER of social pain, but whether they play a role in implicit ER is unclear. METHODS We investigated whether anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) of the right VLPFC (rVLPFC) or the right DLPFC (rDLPFC) influences implicit ER. In total, 63 healthy participants completed an emotion priming task, which measures the implicit ER of social pain, before and after receiving active or sham HD-tDCS (2 mA for 20 min, 10 consecutive days). Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during task performance. RESULTS Combined with the results of the behavioral and electrophysiological indices indicated that stimulation of both the rVLPFC and the rDLPFC by anodic HD-tDCS could significantly reduce the affective responses caused by social exclusion. The further results also suggested that rDLPFC activation may contribute to promoting the involvement of early cognitive resources in the implicit ER process of social pain, thus helping to reduce the subjective negative experience of individuals. LIMITATIONS There were no dynamic interactive emotional stimuli to induce social pain, and only static images of social exclusion were used. CONCLUSION Our study provides cognitive and neurological evidence that expands our knowledge of the role of the rDLPFC and the rVLPFC in social ER. It can also serve as a reference for targeted intervention of implicit ER in social pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Zhang
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Tingting Chen
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Shanshan Liu
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xinying Liu
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yifan Zhang
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Fengqiong Yu
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, Anhui Province, China
| | - Gong-Jun Ji
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, Anhui Province, China; Department of Medical Psychology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Xiaoming Li
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
| | - Chunyan Zhu
- School of Mental Health and Psychological Sciences, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, Anhui Province, China; Department of Psychology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, China.
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Onishi H, Yokosawa K. Differential working memory function between phonological and visuospatial strategies: a magnetoencephalography study using a same visual task. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1218437. [PMID: 37680265 PMCID: PMC10480614 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1218437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have reported that, in working memory, the processing of visuospatial information and phonological information have different neural bases. However, in these studies, memory items were presented via different modalities. Therefore, the modality in which the memory items were presented and the strategy for memorizing them were not rigorously distinguished. In the present study, we explored the neural basis of two working memory strategies. Nineteen right-handed young adults memorized seven sequential directions presented visually in a task in which the memory strategy was either visuospatial or phonological (visuospatial/phonological condition). Source amplitudes of theta-band (5-7 Hz) rhythm were estimated from magnetoencephalography during the maintenance period and further analyzed using cluster-based permutation tests. Behavioral results revealed that the accuracy rates showed no significant differences between conditions, while the reaction time in the phonological condition was significantly longer than that in the visuospatial condition. Theta activity in the phonological condition was significantly greater than that in the visuospatial condition, and the cluster in spatio-temporal matrix with p < 5% difference extended to right prefrontal regions in the early maintenance period and right occipito-parietal regions in the late maintenance period. The theta activity results did not indicate strategy-specific neural bases but did reveal the dynamics of executive function required for phonological processing. The functions seemed to move from attention control and inhibition control in the prefrontal region to inhibition of irrelevant information in the occipito-parietal region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayate Onishi
- Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Koichi Yokosawa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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Spontaneity matters! Network alterations before and after spontaneous and active facial self-touches: An EEG functional connectivity study. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 184:28-38. [PMID: 36563880 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite humans frequently performing spontaneous facial self-touches (sFST), the function of this behavior remains speculative. sFST have been discussed in the context of self-regulation, emotional homeostasis, working memory processes, and attention focus. First evidence indicates that sFST and active facial self-touches (aFST) are neurobiologically different phenomena. The aim of the present analysis was to examine EEG-based connectivity in the course of sFST and aFST to test the hypotheses that sFST affect brain network interactions relevant for other than sensorimotor processes. METHODS To trigger spontaneous FST a previously successful setting was used: 60 healthy participants manually explored two haptic stimuli and held the shapes of the stimuli in memory for a 14 min retention interval. Afterwards the shapes were drawn on a sheet of paper. During the retention interval, artifact-free EEG-data of 97 sFST by 32 participants were recorded. At the end of the experiment, the participants performed aFST with both hands successively. For the EEG-data, connectivity was computed and compared between the phases before and after sFST and aFST and between the respective before-and the after-phases. RESULTS For the before-after comparison, brainwide distributed significant connectivity differences (p < .00079) were observed for sFST, but not for aFST. Additionally, comparing the before- and after-phases of sFST and aFST, respectively, revealed increased similarity between the after-phases than between the before-phases. CONCLUSION The results support the assumption that sFST and aFST are neurobiologically different phenomena. Furthermore, the aligned network properties of the after-phases compared to the before-phases indicate that sFST serve self-regulatory functions that aFST do not serve.
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Xu K, Wei Y, Zhang S, Zhao L, Geng B, Mai W, Li P, Liang L, Chen D, Zeng X, Deng D, Liu P. Percentage amplitude of fluctuation and structural covariance changes of subjective cognitive decline in patients: A multimodal imaging study. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:888174. [PMID: 35937877 PMCID: PMC9354620 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.888174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Back ground Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be the first clinical sign of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The possible neural mechanisms of SCD are not well known. This study aimed to compare percent amplitude of fluctuation (PerAF) and structural covariance patterns in patients with SCD and healthy controls (HCs). Methods We enrolled 53 patients with SCD and 65 HCs. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data and T1-weighted anatomical brain 3.0-T MRI scans were collected. The PerAF approach was applied to distinguish altered brain functions between the two groups. A whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed, and all significant regions were selected as regions of interest (ROIs) for the structural covariance analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using two-sample t-tests, and multiple regressions were applied to examine the relationships between neuroimaging findings and clinical symptoms. Results Functional MRI results revealed significantly increased PerAF including the right hippocampus (HIPP) and right thalamus (THA) in patients with SCD relative to HCs. Gray matter volume (GMV) results demonstrated decreased GMV in the bilateral ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (vlPFC) and right insula in patients with SCD relative to HCs. Taking these three areas including the bilateral vlPFC and right insula as ROIs, differences were observed in the structural covariance of the ROIs with several regions between the two groups. Additionally, significant correlations were observed between neuroimaging findings and clinical symptoms. Conclusion Our study investigated the abnormal PerAF and structural covariance patterns in patients with SCD, which might provide new insights into the pathological mechanisms of SCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Xu
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Life Science Research Center, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
| | - Yichen Wei
- Department of Radiology, The People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Shuming Zhang
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Life Science Research Center, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
| | - Lihua Zhao
- Department of Acupuncture, First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China
| | - Bowen Geng
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Life Science Research Center, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
| | - Wei Mai
- Department of Acupuncture, First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanning, China
| | - Pengyu Li
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Life Science Research Center, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
| | - Lingyan Liang
- Department of Radiology, The People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Duoli Chen
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Life Science Research Center, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
| | - Xiao Zeng
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Life Science Research Center, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
| | - Demao Deng
- Department of Radiology, The People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
- Demao Deng,
| | - Peng Liu
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Life Science Research Center, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
- School of Life Sciences and Technology, Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging Ministry of Education, Xidian University, Xi’an, China
- *Correspondence: Peng Liu,
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Caulfield KA, Indahlastari A, Nissim NR, Lopez JW, Fleischmann HH, Woods AJ, George MS. Electric Field Strength From Prefrontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Determines Degree of Working Memory Response: A Potential Application of Reverse-Calculation Modeling? Neuromodulation 2022; 25:578-587. [PMID: 35670064 DOI: 10.1111/ner.13342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for working memory is an enticing treatment, but there is mixed evidence to date. OBJECTIVES We tested the effects of electric field strength from uniform 2 mA dosing on working memory change from prestimulation to poststimulation. Second, we statistically evaluated a reverse-calculation method of individualizing tDCS dose and its effect on normalizing electric field at the cortex. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed electric field modeling on a data set of 28 healthy older adults (15 women, mean age = 73.7, SD = 7.3) who received ten sessions of active 2 mA tDCS (N = 14) or sham tDCS (N = 14) applied over bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC) in a triple-blind design. We evaluated the relationship between electric field strength and working memory change on an N-back task in conditions of above-median, high electric field from active 2 mA (N = 7), below-median, low electric field from active 2 mA (N = 7), and sham (N = 14) at regions of interest (ROI) at the left and right DLPFC. We then determined the individualized reverse-calculation dose to produce the group average electric field and measured the electric field variance between uniform 2 mA doses vs individualized reverse-calculation doses at the same ROIs. RESULTS Working memory improvements from pre- to post-tDCS were significant for the above-median electric field from active 2 mA condition at the left DLPFC (mixed ANOVA, p = 0.013). Furthermore, reverse-calculation modeling significantly reduced electric field variance at both ROIs (Levene's test; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Higher electric fields at the left DLPFC from uniform 2 mA doses appear to drive working memory improvements from tDCS. Individualized doses from reverse-calculation modeling significantly reduce electric field variance at the cortex. Taken together, using reverse-calculation modeling to produce the same, high electric fields at the cortex across participants may produce more effective future tDCS treatments for working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin A Caulfield
- Brain Stimulation Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
| | - Aprinda Indahlastari
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory Clinical Translational Research, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Nicole R Nissim
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - James W Lopez
- Brain Stimulation Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Holly H Fleischmann
- Brain Stimulation Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Adam J Woods
- Center for Cognitive Aging and Memory Clinical Translational Research, McKnight Brain Institute, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Mark S George
- Brain Stimulation Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA; Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA
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Wischnewski M, Mantell KE, Opitz A. Identifying regions in prefrontal cortex related to working memory improvement: A novel meta-analytic method using electric field modeling. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 130:147-161. [PMID: 34418436 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.08.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Altering cortical activity using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to improve working memory (WM) performance. Due to large inter-experimental variability in the tDCS montage configuration and strength of induced electric fields, results have been mixed. Here, we present a novel meta-analytic method relating behavioral effect sizes to electric field strength to identify brain regions underlying largest tDCS-induced WM improvement. Simulations on 69 studies targeting left prefrontal cortex showed that tDCS electric field strength in lower dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 45/47) relates most strongly to improved WM performance. This region explained 7.8 % of variance, equaling a medium effect. A similar region was identified when correlating WM performance and electric field strength of right prefrontal tDCS studies (n = 18). Maximum electric field strength of five previously used tDCS configurations were outside of this location. We thus propose a new tDCS montage which maximizes the tDCS electric field strength in that brain region. Our findings can benefit future tDCS studies that aim to affect WM function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miles Wischnewski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
| | - Kathleen E Mantell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Alexander Opitz
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States
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Haque ZZ, Samandra R, Mansouri FA. Neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory: insights from brain stimulation studies. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:2038-2053. [PMID: 33881914 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00041.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The concept of working memory refers to a collection of cognitive abilities and processes involved in the short-term storage of task-relevant information to guide the ongoing and upcoming behavior and therefore describes an important aspect of executive control of behavior for achieving goals. Deficits in working memory and related cognitive abilities have been observed in patients with brain damage or neuropsychological disorders and therefore it is important to better understand neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory. Working memory relies on neural mechanisms that enable encoding, maintenance, and manipulation of stored information as well as integrating them with ongoing and future goals. Recently, a surge in brain stimulation studies have led to development of various noninvasive techniques for localized stimulation of prefrontal and other cortical regions in humans. These brain stimulation techniques can potentially be tailored to influence neural activities in particular brain regions and modulate cognitive functions and behavior. Combined use of brain stimulation with neuroimaging and electrophysiological recording have provided a great opportunity to monitor neural activity in various brain regions and noninvasively intervene and modulate cognitive functions in cognitive tasks. These studies have shed more light on the neural substrate and underlying mechanisms of working memory in humans. Here, we review findings and insight from these brain stimulation studies about the contribution of brain regions, and particularly prefrontal cortex, to working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zakia Z Haque
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ranshikha Samandra
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Farshad Alizadeh Mansouri
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.,ARC Centre for Integrative Brain Function, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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