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Sheng Zheng Z, Xing-Long Wang K, Millan H, Lee S, Howard M, Rothbart A, Rosario E, Schnakers C. Transcranial direct stimulation over left inferior frontal gyrus improves language production and comprehension in post-stroke aphasia: A double-blind randomized controlled study. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 257:105459. [PMID: 39241469 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 09/09/2024]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting Broca's area has shown promise for augmenting language production in post-stroke aphasia (PSA). However, previous research has been limited by small sample sizes and inconsistent outcomes. This study employed a double-blind, parallel, randomized, controlled design to evaluate the efficacy of anodal Broca's tDCS, paired with 20-minute speech and language therapy (SLT) focused primarily on expressive language, across 5 daily sessions in 45 chronic PSA patients. Utilizing the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised, which assesses a spectrum of linguistic abilities, we measured changes in both expressive and receptive language skills before and after intervention. The tDCS group demonstrated significant improvements over sham in aphasia quotient, auditory verbal comprehension, and spontaneous speech. Notably, tDCS improved both expressive and receptive domains, whereas sham only benefited expression. These results underscore the broader linguistic benefits of Broca's area stimulation and support the integration of tDCS with SLT to advance aphasia rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhong Sheng Zheng
- Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA, USA.
| | | | - Henry Millan
- Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Sharon Lee
- Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Melissa Howard
- Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Aaron Rothbart
- Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Emily Rosario
- Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA, USA
| | - Caroline Schnakers
- Research Institute, Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA, USA
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2
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Krause CD, Fengler A, Pino D, Sehm B, Friederici AD, Obrig H. The role of left temporo-parietal and inferior frontal cortex in comprehending syntactically complex sentences: A brain stimulation study. Neuropsychologia 2023; 180:108465. [PMID: 36586718 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108465] [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: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Syntactic competence relies on a left-lateralized network converging on hubs in inferior-frontal and posterior-temporal cortices. We address the question whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over these hubs can modulate comprehension of sentences, whose syntactic complexity systematically varied along the factors embedding depths and canonicity. Semantic content and length of the sentences were kept identical and forced choice picture matching was required after the full sentence had been presented. METHODS We used a single-blind, within-subject, sham-controlled design, applying a-tDCS targeting left posterior tempo-parietal (TP) and left inferior frontal cortex (FC). Stimulation sites were determined by individual neuro-navigation. 20 participants were included of whom 19 entered the analysis. Results were analysed using (generalized) mixed models. In a pilot-experiment in another group of 20 participants we validated the manipulation of syntactic complexity by the two factors embedding depth and argument-order. RESULTS Reaction times increased and accuracy decreased with higher embedding depth and non-canonical argument order in both experiments. Notably a-tDCS over TP enhanced sentence-to-picture matching, while FC-stimulation showed no consistent effect. Moreover, the analysis disclosed a session effect, indicating improvements of task performance especially regarding speed. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the posterior 'hub' of the neuronal network affording syntactic analysis represents a 'bottleneck', likely due to working-memory capacity and the challenges of mapping semantic to syntactic information allowing for role assignment. While this does not challenge the role of left inferior-frontal cortex for syntax processing and novel-grammar learning, the application of highly established syntactic rules during sentence comprehension may be considered optimized, thus not augmentable by a-tDCS in the uncompromised network. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over left temporo-parietal cortex enhances comprehension of complex sentences in uncompromised young speakers. Since a-tDCS over left frontal cortex did not elicit any change, the 'bottleneck' for the understanding of complex sentences seems to be the posterior, temporo-parietal rather than the anterior inferior-frontal 'hub' of language processing. Regarding the attested role of inferior-frontal cortex in syntax processing, we suggest that its function is optimized in competent young speakers, preventing further enhancement by (facilitatory) tDCS. Results shed light on the functional anatomy of syntax processing during sentence comprehension; moreover, they open perspectives for research in the lesioned language network of people with syntactic deficits due to aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina D Krause
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology & Department of Neurology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital & Faculty of Medicine, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Anja Fengler
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology & Department of Neurology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Department of Special and Inclusive Education, Speech and Language Pedagogy and Pathology, 06110 Halle, Germany
| | - Danièle Pino
- Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital & Faculty of Medicine, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bernhard Sehm
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology & Department of Neurology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Clinic for Neurology, University Medicine Halle, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Angela D Friederici
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology & Department of Neurology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hellmuth Obrig
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Department of Neuropsychology & Department of Neurology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital & Faculty of Medicine, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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3
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Martin DM, Berryhill ME, Dielenberg V. Can brain stimulation enhance cognition in clinical populations? A critical review. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2022:RNN211230. [PMID: 36404559 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-211230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Many psychiatric and neurological conditions are associated with cognitive impairment for which there are very limited treatment options. Brain stimulation methodologies show promise as novel therapeutics and have cognitive effects. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), known more for its related transient adverse cognitive effects, can produce significant cognitive improvement in the weeks following acute treatment. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is increasingly used as a treatment for major depression and has acute cognitive effects. Emerging research from controlled studies suggests that repeated TMS treatments may additionally have cognitive benefit. ECT and TMS treatment cause neurotrophic changes, although whether these are associated with cognitive effects remains unclear. Transcranial electrical stimulation methods including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) are in development as novel treatments for multiple psychiatric conditions. These treatments may also produce cognitive enhancement particularly when stimulation occurs concurrently with a cognitive task. This review summarizes the current clinical evidence for these brain stimulation treatments as therapeutics for enhancing cognition. Acute, or short-lasting, effects as well as longer-term effects from repeated treatments are reviewed, together with potential putative neural mechanisms. Areas of future research are highlighted to assist with optimization of these approaches for enhancing cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donel M. Martin
- Sydney Neurostimulation Centre, Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health UNSW, Black Dog Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Marian E. Berryhill
- Memory and Brain Lab, Programs in Cognitive and Brain Sciences, and Integrative Neuroscience, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | - Victoria Dielenberg
- Sydney Neurostimulation Centre, Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health UNSW, Black Dog Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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4
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Rivera-Urbina GN, Martínez-Castañeda MF, Núñez-Gómez AM, Molero-Chamizo A, Nitsche MA, Alameda-Bailén JR. Effects of tDCS applied over the left IFG and pSTG language areas on verb recognition task performance. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14134. [PMID: 35780078 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14134] [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: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge about the relevance of the left inferior frontal gyrus (lIFG) and the left posterior superior temporal gyrus (lpSTG) in visual recognition of word categories is limited at present. tDCS is a non-invasive brain stimulation method that alters cortical activity and excitability, and thus might be a useful tool for delineating the specific impact of both areas on word recognition. The objective of this study was to explore whether the visual recognition process of verb categories is improved by a single tDCS session. lIFG and lpSTG areas were separately modulated by anodal tDCS to evaluate its effects on verbal recognition. Compared to sham stimulation, motor reaction times (RTs) were reduced after anodal tDCS over the lpSTG, and this effect was independent of the performing hand (right/left). These findings suggest that this region is involved in visual word recognition independently from the performing hand.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Michael A Nitsche
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany
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5
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Huang Y, Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Mai X. Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Left Primary Motor Cortex on Verbal Intelligence. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:888590. [PMID: 35693542 PMCID: PMC9177941 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.888590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that changes in gray matter density and volume in the left primary motor cortex are significantly associated with changes in individuals’ verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ), but not with their performance intelligence quotient (PIQ). In the present study, we examined the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left primary motor cortex on performance in intelligence tests. We chose four subtests (two each for VIQ and PIQ) of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Chinese Revised version and randomized participants into anodal, cathodal, and sham groups. We found that anodal stimulation significantly improved performance in verbal intelligence subtests compared to cathodal and sham stimulation, while performance intelligence subtest scores did not change in any stimulation condition. These findings suggest that the excitation level of the left primary motor cortex has a unique effect on verbal intelligence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Huang
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Yinling Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
| | - Yizhe Zhang
- Psychological Counseling Center, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoqin Mai
- Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaoqin Mai,
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6
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Vergallito A, Feroldi S, Pisoni A, Romero Lauro LJ. Inter-Individual Variability in tDCS Effects: A Narrative Review on the Contribution of Stable, Variable, and Contextual Factors. Brain Sci 2022; 12:522. [PMID: 35624908 PMCID: PMC9139102 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to its safety, portability, and cheapness, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) use largely increased in research and clinical settings. Despite tDCS's wide application, previous works pointed out inconsistent and low replicable results, sometimes leading to extreme conclusions about tDCS's ineffectiveness in modulating behavioral performance across cognitive domains. Traditionally, this variability has been linked to significant differences in the stimulation protocols across studies, including stimulation parameters, target regions, and electrodes montage. Here, we reviewed and discussed evidence of heterogeneity emerging at the intra-study level, namely inter-individual differences that may influence the response to tDCS within each study. This source of variability has been largely neglected by literature, being results mainly analyzed at the group level. Previous research, however, highlighted that only a half-or less-of studies' participants could be classified as responders, being affected by tDCS in the expected direction. Stable and variable inter-individual differences, such as morphological and genetic features vs. hormonal/exogenous substance consumption, partially account for this heterogeneity. Moreover, variability comes from experiments' contextual elements, such as participants' engagement/baseline capacity and individual task difficulty. We concluded that increasing knowledge on inter-dividual differences rather than undermining tDCS effectiveness could enhance protocols' efficiency and reproducibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Vergallito
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, University of Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy; (A.P.); (L.J.R.L.)
| | - Sarah Feroldi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20854 Monza, Italy;
| | - Alberto Pisoni
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, University of Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy; (A.P.); (L.J.R.L.)
| | - Leonor J. Romero Lauro
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, University of Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy; (A.P.); (L.J.R.L.)
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7
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Hamilton RH, Harvey DY. Neuromodulation of the language system: A critical advance in understanding language processing and treating disorders of communication. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2022; 226:105080. [PMID: 35051789 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2022.105080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Roy H Hamilton
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA.
| | - Denise Y Harvey
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
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8
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Nooristani M, Augereau T, Moïn-Darbari K, Bacon BA, Champoux F. Using Transcranial Electrical Stimulation in Audiological Practice: The Gaps to Be Filled. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:735561. [PMID: 34887736 PMCID: PMC8650084 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.735561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) approaches have been widely studied for many decades in the motor field, and are well known to have a significant and consistent impact on the rehabilitation of people with motor deficits. Consequently, it can be asked whether tES could also be an effective tool for targeting and modulating plasticity in the sensory field for therapeutic purposes. Specifically, could potentiating sensitivity at the central level with tES help to compensate for sensory loss? The present review examines evidence of the impact of tES on cortical auditory excitability and its corresponding influence on auditory processing, and in particular on hearing rehabilitation. Overall, data strongly suggest that tES approaches can be an effective tool for modulating auditory plasticity. However, its specific impact on auditory processing requires further investigation before it can be considered for therapeutic purposes. Indeed, while it is clear that electrical stimulation has an effect on cortical excitability and overall auditory abilities, the directionality of these effects is puzzling. The knowledge gaps that will need to be filled are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mujda Nooristani
- École d'Orthophonie et d'Audiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Thomas Augereau
- École d'Orthophonie et d'Audiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Karina Moïn-Darbari
- École d'Orthophonie et d'Audiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | | | - François Champoux
- École d'Orthophonie et d'Audiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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9
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Sokoliuk R, Degano G, Melloni L, Noppeney U, Cruse D. The Influence of Auditory Attention on Rhythmic Speech Tracking: Implications for Studies of Unresponsive Patients. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:702768. [PMID: 34456697 PMCID: PMC8385206 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.702768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Language comprehension relies on integrating words into progressively more complex structures, like phrases and sentences. This hierarchical structure-building is reflected in rhythmic neural activity across multiple timescales in E/MEG in healthy, awake participants. However, recent studies have shown evidence for this “cortical tracking” of higher-level linguistic structures also in a proportion of unresponsive patients. What does this tell us about these patients’ residual levels of cognition and consciousness? Must the listener direct their attention toward higher level speech structures to exhibit cortical tracking, and would selective attention across levels of the hierarchy influence the expression of these rhythms? We investigated these questions in an EEG study of 72 healthy human volunteers listening to streams of monosyllabic isochronous English words that were either unrelated (scrambled condition) or composed of four-word-sequences building meaningful sentences (sentential condition). Importantly, there were no physical cues between four-word-sentences. Rather, boundaries were marked by syntactic structure and thematic role assignment. Participants were divided into three attention groups: from passive listening (passive group) to attending to individual words (word group) or sentences (sentence group). The passive and word groups were initially naïve to the sentential stimulus structure, while the sentence group was not. We found significant tracking at word- and sentence rate across all three groups, with sentence tracking linked to left middle temporal gyrus and right superior temporal gyrus. Goal-directed attention to words did not enhance word-rate-tracking, suggesting that word tracking here reflects largely automatic mechanisms, as was shown for tracking at the syllable-rate before. Importantly, goal-directed attention to sentences relative to words significantly increased sentence-rate-tracking over left inferior frontal gyrus. This attentional modulation of rhythmic EEG activity at the sentential rate highlights the role of attention in integrating individual words into complex linguistic structures. Nevertheless, given the presence of high-level cortical tracking under conditions of lower attentional effort, our findings underline the suitability of the paradigm in its clinical application in patients after brain injury. The neural dissociation between passive tracking of sentences and directed attention to sentences provides a potential means to further characterise the cognitive state of each unresponsive patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodika Sokoliuk
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Giulio Degano
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Brain and Language Lab, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Lucia Melloni
- Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany.,Department of Neurology, New York University, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Uta Noppeney
- Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, Netherlands.,Department of Biophysics, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Damian Cruse
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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10
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Schlatter S, Guillot A, Schmidt L, Mura M, Trama R, Di Rienzo F, Lilot M, Debarnot U. Combining proactive transcranial stimulation and cardiac biofeedback to substantially manage harmful stress effects. Brain Stimul 2021; 14:1384-1392. [PMID: 34438047 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2021.08.019] [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: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have identified the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) as a core region in cognitive emotional regulation. Transcranial direct current stimulations of the dlPFC (tDCS) and heart-rate variability biofeedback (BFB) are known to regulate emotional processes. However, the effect of these interventions applied either alone or concomitantly during an anticipatory stress remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE The study investigated the effect of anodal tDCS and BFB, alone or combined, on psychophysiological stress responses and cognitive functioning. METHODS Following a stress anticipation induction, 80 participants were randomized into four groups and subjected to a 15-min intervention: neutral video viewing (ctrl), left dlPFC anodal tDCS (tdcs), heart-rate variability biofeedback (bfb), or a combined treatment (bfb + tdcs). Participants were then immediately confronted with the stressor, which was followed by an assessment of executive functions. Psychophysiological stress responses were assessed throughout the experiment (heart rate, heart-rate variability, salivary cortisol). RESULTS The tdcs did not modulate stress responses. Compared with both ctrl and tdcs interventions, bfb reduced physiological stress and improved executive functions after the stressor. The main finding revealed that bfb + tdcs was the most effective intervention, yielding greater reduction in psychological and physiological stress responses than bfb. CONCLUSIONS Combining preventive tDCS with BFB is a relevant interventional approach to reduce psychophysiological stress responses, hence offering a new and non-invasive treatment of stress-related disorders. Biofeedback may be particularly useful for preparing for an important stressful event when performance is decisive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Schlatter
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France; Centre Lyonnais d'Enseignement par Simulation en Santé (CLESS, high fidelity medical simulation centre), SAMSEI, Lyon, France.
| | - Aymeric Guillot
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Laura Schmidt
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Research on Healthcare Performance (RESHAPE), INSERM U1290, Lyon, France; Centre Lyonnais d'Enseignement par Simulation en Santé (CLESS, high fidelity medical simulation centre), SAMSEI, Lyon, France.
| | - Mathilde Mura
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Robin Trama
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Franck Di Rienzo
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Marc Lilot
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Research on Healthcare Performance (RESHAPE), INSERM U1290, Lyon, France; Hospices Civils de Lyon, Departments of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France; Centre Lyonnais d'Enseignement par Simulation en Santé (CLESS, high fidelity medical simulation centre), SAMSEI, Lyon, France.
| | - Ursula Debarnot
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France; Institut Universitaire de France, France.
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11
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Zhu R, Luo Y, Wang Z, You X. Modality effects in verbal working memory updating: Transcranial direct current stimulation over human inferior frontal gyrus and posterior parietal cortex. Brain Cogn 2020; 145:105630. [PMID: 33091807 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Verbal working memory (VWM) involves visual and auditory verbal information. Neuroimaging studies have shown significant modality effects for VWM in the left posterior parietal cortex (PPC). The left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) is more sensitive to auditory and phonological information. However, much less is known about the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left PPC and IFG on different sensory modalities of VWM (auditory vs. visual). Therefore, the present study aimed to examine whether tDCS over the left PPC and IFG affects visual and auditory VWM updating performance using a single-blind design. Fifty-one healthy participants were randomly assigned to three tDCS groups (left PPC/left IFG/sham) and were asked to complete both the visual and auditory letter 3-back tasks. Results showed that stimulating the left PPC enhanced the response efficiency of visual, but not auditory, VWM compared with the sham condition. Anodal stimulation to the left IFG improved the response efficiency of both tasks. The present study revealed a modality effect of VWM in the left PPC, while the left IFG had a causal role in VWM updating of different sensory modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rongjuan Zhu
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yangmei Luo
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Ziyu Wang
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Xuqun You
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
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12
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Zhao F, Zhang W, Zhu D, Wang X, Qin W, Liu F. Long-term Pingju Opera Training Induces Plasticity Changes in Cerebral Blood Flow: An Arterial Spin Labelling MRI Study. Neuroscience 2020; 436:27-33. [PMID: 32283180 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.04.007] [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: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Professional Pingju actors have been shown to exhibit practice-induced plastic changes in spontaneous regional brain activity; however, whether these changes are present in resting-state regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) remains largely unclear. Here, twenty professional Pingju opera actors and 20 age-, sex-, and handedness-matched untrained subjects were recruited, and resting-state CBF maps were obtained by using a three-dimensional pseudocontinuous arterial spin labelling sequence. Voxel-based comparisons of the CBF maps between the two groups were performed with two-sample t-tests, and correlation analyses between the CBF changes and years of training in the actor group were conducted. In addition, the CBF connectivity between regions with CBF alterations and the whole brain was computed and compared between the two groups. Compared with untrained subjects, the actors showed significantly higher CBF in the right inferior temporal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, left temporal pole, and left inferior frontal gyrus, whereas significantly lower CBF was not found in the actor group (voxel-level uncorrected p < 0.001, cluster-level family-wise error corrected p < 0.05). Furthermore, there was no correlation between the mean CBF values from significantly different clusters and the years of training, and no significant alterations in CBF connectivity were found in the actor group. Overall, these results provided preliminary evidence that neural plastic changes in CBF are present in professional Pingju opera actors, which may correspond to specific experiences associated with Pingju opera training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangshi Zhao
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, PR China
| | - Weitao Zhang
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, PR China
| | - Dan Zhu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, PR China
| | - Xiaoyi Wang
- Department of Ultrasound, The Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300211, PR China
| | - Wen Qin
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, PR China.
| | - Feng Liu
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional Imaging, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, PR China.
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Vergallito A, Varoli E, Giustolisi B, Cecchetto C, Del Mauro L, Romero Lauro LJ. Mind the stimulation site: Enhancing and diminishing sentence comprehension with anodal tDCS. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2020; 204:104757. [PMID: 32036293 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In a previous sham-controlled study, we showed the feasibility of increasing language comprehension in healthy participants by applying anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) over the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG). In the present work, we present a follow-up experiment targeting with atDCS the left inferior parietal cortex (LIPC) while participants performed the same auditory comprehension task used in our previous experiment. Both neural sites (LIFG and LIPC) are crucial hubs of Baddeley's model of verbal short-term memory (vSTM). AtDCS over LIPC decreased accuracy as compared to sham and LIFG stimulation, suggesting the involvement of this area in sentence comprehension. Crucially, our results highlighted that applying tDCS over different hubs of the same neural network can lead to opposite behavioural results, with relevant implications from a clinical perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Vergallito
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; Milan Center for Neuroscience, Neuromi, Italy
| | - Erica Varoli
- Milan Center for Neuroscience, Neuromi, Italy; Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy; Psychology Service, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services, Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IRCCS-ISMETT), Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Carlo Cecchetto
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; Université de Paris 8 & CNRS - UMR 7023 Structures Formelles du Langage, Paris, France
| | - Lilia Del Mauro
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy
| | - Leonor J Romero Lauro
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; Milan Center for Neuroscience, Neuromi, Italy.
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Primary motor cortex and phonological recoding: A TMS-EMG study. Neuropsychologia 2020; 139:107368. [PMID: 32014451 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Since the 1960s, evidence from healthy participants and brain-damaged patients, neuroimaging and non-invasive brain stimulation studies has specified the neurofunctional architecture of the short-term memory (STM) system, supporting the temporary retention of a limited amount of verbal material. Auditory-verbal, later termed Phonological (Ph) STM or Phonological Loop, comprises two sub-components: i) the main storage system, the Phonological Short-Term Store (PhSTS), to which auditory verbal stimuli have direct access and where phonologically coded information is retained for a few seconds; ii) a Rehearsal Process (REH), which actively maintains the trace held in the PhSTS, preventing its decay and conveys visual verbal material to the PhSTS, after the process of Phonological Recoding (PhREC, or Grapheme-to-Phoneme Conversion) has taken place. PhREC converts visuo-verbal graphemic representations into phonological ones. The neural correlates of PhSTM include two discrete regions in the left hemisphere: the temporo-parietal junction (PhSTS) and the inferior frontal gyrus in the premotor cortex (REH). The neural basis of PhREC has been much less investigated. A few single case studies of patients made anarthric by focal or degenerative cortical damage, who show a pattern of impairment indicative of a deficit of PhREC, sparing the REH process, suggest that the primary motor cortex (M1) might be involved. To test this hypothesis in healthy participants with a neurophysiological approach, we measured the corticospinal excitability of M1, by means of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)-induced Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs), during the execution of phonological judgements on auditorily vs. visually presented words (Experiment #1). Crucially, these phonological tasks involve REH, while PhREC is required only with visual presentation. Results show MEPs with larger amplitude when stimuli are presented visually. Task difficulty does not account for this difference and the result is specific for linguistic stimuli, indeed visual and auditory stimuli that cannot be verbalized lead to different behavioral and neurophysiological patterns (Experiment #2). The increase of corticospinal excitability when words are presented visually can be then interpreted as an indication of the involvement of M1 in PhREC. The present findings elucidate the neural correlates of PhREC, suggesting an involvement of the peripheral motor system in its activity.
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Lo Gerfo E, Gallucci A, Morese R, Vergallito A, Ottone S, Ponzano F, Locatelli G, Bosco F, Romero Lauro LJ. The role of ventromedial prefrontal cortex and temporo-parietal junction in third-party punishment behavior. Neuroimage 2019; 200:501-510. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.06.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW This article summarizes the clinical and anatomic features of the three named variants of primary progressive aphasia (PPA): semantic variant PPA, nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA, and logopenic variant PPA. Three stroke aphasia syndromes that resemble the PPA variants (Broca aphasia, Wernicke aphasia, and conduction aphasia) are also presented. RECENT FINDINGS Semantic variant PPA and Wernicke aphasia are characterized by fluent speech with naming and comprehension difficulty; these syndromes are associated with disease in different portions of the left temporal lobe. Patients with nonfluent/agrammatic variant PPA or Broca aphasia have nonfluent speech with grammatical difficulty; these syndromes are associated with disease centered in the left inferior frontal lobe. Patients with logopenic variant PPA or conduction aphasia have difficulty with repetition and word finding in conversational speech; these syndromes are associated with disease in the left inferior parietal lobe. While PPA and stroke aphasias resemble one another, this article also presents their distinguishing features. SUMMARY Primary progressive and stroke aphasia syndromes interrupt the left perisylvian language network, resulting in identifiable aphasic syndromes.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study examined the effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) on sentence and word comprehension in healthy adults. METHODS Healthy adult participants, aged between 19 and 30 years, received either a-tDCS over the left inferior frontal gyrus (n=18) or sham stimulation (n=18). Participants completed sentence comprehension and word comprehension tasks before and during stimulation. Accuracy and reaction times (RTs) were recorded as participants completed both tasks. RESULTS a-tDCS was found to significantly decrease RT on the sentence comprehension task compared to baseline. There was no change in RT following sham stimulation. a-tDCS was not found to have a significant effect on accuracy. Also, a-tDCS did not affect accuracy or RTs on the word comprehension task. CONCLUSIONS The study provides evidence that non-invasive anodal electrical stimulation can modulate sentence comprehension in healthy adults, at least compared to their baseline performance. (JINS, 2019, 25, 331-335).
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Malyutina S, Zelenkova V, Buivolova O, Oosterhuis EJ, Zmanovsky N, Feurra M. Modulating the interhemispheric balance in healthy participants with transcranial direct current stimulation: No significant effects on word or sentence processing. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 186:60-66. [PMID: 30286319 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 08/07/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Patient studies and brain stimulation evidence suggest that language processing can be enhanced by altering the interhemispheric balance: namely, preferentially enhancing left-hemisphere activity while suppressing right-hemisphere activity. To our knowledge, no study has yet compared the effects of such bilateral brain stimulation to both logically necessary control conditions (separate left- and right-hemisphere stimulation). This study did so in a between-group sham-controlled design, applying transcranial direct current stimulation over Broca's area and/or its homologue in 72 healthy participants. The effects were measured not only in a single-word-level task but also in a sentence-level task, rarely tested previously. We did not find either any significant overall effects of stimulation or greater stimulation effects in the bilateral compared to control groups. This null result, obtained in a large sample, contributes to the debate on whether tDCS can modulate language processing in healthy individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Malyutina
- National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation.
| | - Valeriya Zelenkova
- National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Olga Buivolova
- National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | | | - Nikita Zmanovsky
- National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Matteo Feurra
- National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russian Federation
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Berlingeri M, Carioti D, Danelli L, Lo Gerfo E. As Time Goes by: A rTMS Study on Age-Related Changes in Sentence Comprehension. Front Aging Neurosci 2018; 10:307. [PMID: 30425635 PMCID: PMC6218587 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2018.00307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well established that off-line sentence judgment tasks (oSJTs) typically rely on phonological working memory (WM), beyond specific linguistic processing. Nevertheless, empirical findings suggest that a juvenile level of performance in an oSJT could be associated with the recruitment of age-specific additional supportive neural network in healthy aging. In particular, in one of our previous study, healthy elderlies showed the additional activation of associative visual cortices when compared with young controls. We suggested that age-related hyperactivations, during an auditory sentence judgment task, might represent the neurofunctional correlate of the recruitment of compensatory strategies that are necessary to maintain a juvenile level of performance. To explicitly test this hypothesis we adopted repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Twelve healthy elderlies and 12 young participants were engaged in an off-line semantic plausibility judgment task while rTMS was delivered over: (1) the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG; i.e., a core region of the WM network); (2) the precuneus; and (3) a Control Site (vertex). Results showed a significant main effect of Stimulation Site and a significant Group-by-Stimulation Site interaction effect. In particular, the rTMS stimulation of the LIFG slowed down reaction times (RTs) both in young and healthy elderly participants, while only healthy elderlies showed an increment of RTs during the stimulation of the precuneus. Taken together our results further support the idea that the maintenance of a juvenile level of performance in graceful aging may be associated with task-specific compensatory processes that would manifest them-selves, from the neurofunctional point of view, by the recruitment of additional neural supportive regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Berlingeri
- DISTUM, Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Urbino Carlo BoUrbino, Italy
- NeuroMi, Milan Center for NeuroscienceMilan, Italy
- Center of Developmental Neuropsychology, ASUR MarchePesaro, Italy
| | - Desiré Carioti
- DISTUM, Department of Humanistic Studies, University of Urbino Carlo BoUrbino, Italy
| | - Laura Danelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-BicoccaMilan, Italy
| | - Emanuele Lo Gerfo
- NeuroMi, Milan Center for NeuroscienceMilan, Italy
- Department of Economics, Management and Statistics, University of Milano-BicoccaMilan, Italy
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Vergallito A, Romero Lauro LJ, Bonandrini R, Zapparoli L, Danelli L, Berlingeri M. What is difficult for you can be easy for me. Effects of increasing individual task demand on prefrontal lateralization: A tDCS study. Neuropsychologia 2018; 109:283-294. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.12.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/23/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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