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Farcy C, Chauvigné LAS, Laganaro M, Corre M, Ptak R, Guggisberg AG. Neural mechanisms underlying improved new-word learning with high-density transcranial direct current stimulation. Neuroimage 2024; 294:120649. [PMID: 38759354 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurobehavioral studies have provided evidence for the effectiveness of anodal tDCS on language production, by stimulation of the left Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG) or of left Temporo-Parietal Junction (TPJ). However, tDCS is currently not used in clinical practice outside of trials, because behavioral effects have been inconsistent and underlying neural effects unclear. Here, we propose to elucidate the neural correlates of verb and noun learning and to determine if they can be modulated with anodal high-definition (HD) tDCS stimulation. Thirty-six neurotypical participants were randomly allocated to anodal HD-tDCS over either the left IFG, the left TPJ, or sham stimulation. On day one, participants performed a naming task (pre-test). On day two, participants underwent a new-word learning task with rare nouns and verbs concurrently to HD-tDCS for 20 min. The third day consisted of a post-test of naming performance. EEG was recorded at rest and during naming on each day. Verb learning was significantly facilitated by left IFG stimulation. HD-tDCS over the left IFG enhanced functional connectivity between the left IFG and TPJ and this correlated with improved learning. HD-tDCS over the left TPJ enabled stronger local activation of the stimulated area (as indexed by greater alpha and beta-band power decrease) during naming, but this did not translate into better learning. Thus, tDCS can induce local activation or modulation of network interactions. Only the enhancement of network interactions, but not the increase in local activation, leads to robust improvement of word learning. This emphasizes the need to develop new neuromodulation methods influencing network interactions. Our study suggests that this may be achieved through behavioral activation of one area and concomitant activation of another area with HD-tDCS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Farcy
- Division of Neurorehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Geneva, Av. de Beau-Séjour 26, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Lea A S Chauvigné
- Division of Neurorehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Geneva, Av. de Beau-Séjour 26, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Marina Laganaro
- Neuropsycholinguistics Laboratory, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marion Corre
- Division of Neurorehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Geneva, Av. de Beau-Séjour 26, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Radek Ptak
- Division of Neurorehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Geneva, Av. de Beau-Séjour 26, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Adrian G Guggisberg
- Division of Neurorehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University Hospital of Geneva, Av. de Beau-Séjour 26, Geneva 1211, Switzerland; Universitäre Neurorehabilitation, Universitätsklinik für Neurologie, Inselspital, University Hospital of Berne, Berne 3010, Switzerland.
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Da H, Xiang N, Qiu M, Abbas S, Xiao Q, Zhang Y. Characteristics of oxyhemoglobin during the verbal fluency task in subthreshold depression: A multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy study. J Affect Disord 2024; 356:88-96. [PMID: 38588729 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.04.005] [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: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Subthreshold depression is an essential precursor and risk factor for major depressive disorder, and its accurate identification and timely intervention are important for reducing the prevalence of major depressive disorder. Therefore, we used functional near-infrared spectroscopic imaging (fNIRS) to explore the characteristics of the brain neural activity of college students with subthreshold depression in the verbal fluency task. METHODS A total of 72 subthreshold depressed college students (SDs) and 67 healthy college students (HCs) were recruited, and all subjects were subjected to a verbal fluency task (VFT) while a 53-channel fNIRS device was used to collect the subjects' cerebral blood oxygenation signals. RESULTS The results of the independent samples t-test showed that the mean oxyhemoglobin in the right dorsolateral prefrontal (ch34, ch42, ch45) and Broca's area (ch51, ch53) of SDs was lower than that of HCs. The peak oxygenated hemoglobin of SDs was lower in the right dorsolateral prefrontal (ch34) and Broca's area (ch51, ch53).The brain functional connectivity strength was lower than that of HCs. Correlation analysis showed that the left DLPFC and Broca's area were significantly negatively correlated with the depression level. CONCLUSION SDs showed abnormally low, inadequate levels of brain activation and weak frontotemporal brain functional connectivity. The right DLPFC has a higher sensitivity for the differentiation of depressive symptoms and is suitable as a biomarker for the presence of depressive symptoms. Dysfunction in Broca's area can be used both as a marker of depressive symptoms and as a biomarker, indicating the severity of depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Da
- School of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Nian Xiang
- Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Min Qiu
- Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Sadia Abbas
- School of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Qiang Xiao
- Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Yan Zhang
- School of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Research Center for Innovative Education and Critical Thinking, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
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Balboa-Bandeira Y, Zubiaurre-Elorza L, García-Guerrero MA, Ibarretxe-Bilbao N, Ojeda N, Peña J. Enhancement of phonemic verbal fluency in multilingual young adults by transcranial random noise stimulation. Neuropsychologia 2024; 198:108882. [PMID: 38599569 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Several studies have analyzed the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on verbal fluency tasks in non-clinical populations. Nevertheless, the reported effects on verbal fluency are inconsistent. In addition, the effect of other techniques such as transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) on verbal fluency enhancement has yet to be studied in healthy multilingual populations. This study aims to explore the effects of tRNS on verbal fluency in healthy multilingual individuals. Fifty healthy multilingual (Spanish, English and Basque) adults were randomly assigned to a tRNS or sham group. Electrodes were placed on the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left inferior frontal gyrus. All participants performed phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tasks before, during (online assessment) and immediately after (offline assessment) stimulation in three different languages. The results showed significantly better performance by participants who received tRNS in the phonemic verbal fluency tasks in Spanish (in the online and offline assessment) and English (in the offline assessment). No differences between conditions were found in Basque nor semantic verbal fluency. These findings suggests that tRNS on the left prefrontal cortex could help improve phonemic, yet not semantic, fluency in healthy multilingual adults.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leire Zubiaurre-Elorza
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | | | - Naroa Ibarretxe-Bilbao
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Natalia Ojeda
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Javier Peña
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain.
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Hernández-Sauret A, Martin de la Torre O, Redolar-Ripoll D. Use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for studying cognitive control in depressed patients: A systematic review. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2024:10.3758/s13415-024-01193-w. [PMID: 38773020 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-024-01193-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating mental disorder and the leading cause of disease burden. Major depressive disorder is associated with emotional impairment and cognitive deficit. Cognitive control, which is the ability to use perceptions, knowledge, and information about goals and motivations to shape the selection of goal-directed actions or thoughts, is a primary function of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Psychotropic medications are one of the main treatments for MDD, but they are not effective for all patients. An alternative treatment is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Previous studies have provided mixed results on the cognitive-enhancing effects of TMS treatment in patients with MDD. Some studies have found significant improvement, while others have not. There is a lack of understanding of the specific effects of different TMS protocols and stimulation parameters on cognitive control in MDD. Thus, this review aims to synthesize the effectiveness of the TMS methods and a qualitative assessment of their potential benefits in improving cognitive functioning in patients with MDD. We reviewed 21 studies in which participants underwent a treatment of any transcranial magnetic stimulation protocol, such as repetitive TMS or theta-burst stimulation. One of the primary outcome measures was any change in the cognitive control process. Overall, the findings indicate that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may enhance cognitive function in patients with MDD. Most of the reviewed studies supported the notion of cognitive improvement following TMS treatment. Notably, improvements were predominantly observed in inhibition, attention, set shifting/flexibility, and memory domains. However, fewer significant improvements were detected in evaluations of visuospatial function and recognition, executive function, phonemic fluency, and speed of information processing. This review found evidence supporting the use of TMS as a treatment for cognitive deficits in patients with MDD. The results are promising, but further research is needed to clarify the specific TMS protocol and stimulation locations that are most effective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Hernández-Sauret
- Cognitive Neurolab, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Rambla del Poblenou 156, Barcelona, Spain.
- Instituto Brain360, Unidad Neuromodulación y Neuroimagen, Calle Maó 9, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ona Martin de la Torre
- Cognitive Neurolab, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Rambla del Poblenou 156, Barcelona, Spain
- Instituto Brain360, Unidad Neuromodulación y Neuroimagen, Calle Maó 9, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Diego Redolar-Ripoll
- Cognitive Neurolab, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Rambla del Poblenou 156, Barcelona, Spain
- Instituto Brain360, Unidad Neuromodulación y Neuroimagen, Calle Maó 9, Barcelona, Spain
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Gnedykh D, Tsvetova D, Mkrtychian N, Blagovechtchenski E, Kostromina S, Shtyrov Y. tDCS of right-hemispheric Wernicke's area homologue affects contextual learning of novel lexicon. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2024; 210:107905. [PMID: 38403010 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2024.107905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Revised: 11/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Numerous studies have shown robust evidence of the right hemisphere's involvement in the language function, for instance in the processing of intonation, grammar, word meanings, metaphors, etc. However, its role in lexicon acquisition remains obscure. We applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right-hemispheric homologue of Wernicke's area to assess its putative involvement in the processing of different types of novel semantics. After receiving 15 min of anodal, cathodal, or sham (placebo) tDCS, three groups of healthy participants learnt novel concrete and abstract words in the context of short stories. Learning outcomes were assessed using a battery of tests immediately after this contextual learning session and 24 h later. As a result, an inhibitory effect of cathodal tDCS and a facilitatory effect of anodal tDCS were found for abstract word acquisition only. We also found a significant drop in task performance on the second day of the assessment for both word types in all the stimulation groups, suggesting no significant influence of tDCS on the post-learning consolidation of new memory traces. The results suggest an involvement of Wernicke's right-hemispheric counterpart in initial encoding (but not consolidation) of abstract semantics, which may be explained either by the right hemispheres direct role in processing lexical semantics or by an indirect impact of tDCS on contralateral (left-hemispheric) cortical areas through cross-callosal connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daria Gnedykh
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; Department of Psychology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia.
| | - Diana Tsvetova
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Nadezhda Mkrtychian
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Evgeny Blagovechtchenski
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; Department of Psychology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Svetlana Kostromina
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia; Department of Psychology, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
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Faralli A, Fucà E, Lazzaro G, Menghini D, Vicari S, Costanzo F. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in neurogenetic syndromes: new treatment perspectives for Down syndrome? Front Cell Neurosci 2024; 18:1328963. [PMID: 38456063 PMCID: PMC10917937 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2024.1328963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
This perspective review aims to explore the potential neurobiological mechanisms involved in the application of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Down syndrome (DS), the leading cause of genetically-based intellectual disability. The neural mechanisms underlying tDCS interventions in genetic disorders, typically characterized by cognitive deficits, are grounded in the concept of brain plasticity. We initially present the neurobiological and functional effects elicited by tDCS applications in enhancing neuroplasticity and in regulating the excitatory/inhibitory balance, both associated with cognitive improvement in the general population. The review begins with evidence on tDCS applications in five neurogenetic disorders, including Rett, Prader-Willi, Phelan-McDermid, and Neurofibromatosis 1 syndromes, as well as DS. Available evidence supports tDCS as a potential intervention tool and underscores the importance of advancing neurobiological research into the mechanisms of tDCS action in these conditions. We then discuss the potential of tDCS as a promising non-invasive strategy to mitigate deficits in plasticity and promote fine-tuning of the excitatory/inhibitory balance in DS, exploring implications for cognitive treatment perspectives in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Faralli
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Elisa Fucà
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Lazzaro
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Deny Menghini
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Vicari
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
- Life Sciences and Public Health Department, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
| | - Floriana Costanzo
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
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Heimann F, Weiss S, Müller HM. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) and functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD) in healthy elderly and patients with MCI: modulation of age-related changes in word fluency and language lateralization. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2024; 4:1171133. [PMID: 38414493 PMCID: PMC10896906 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2023.1171133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Introduction: In addition to age-related changes in language, hemispheric lateralization of language functions steadily declines with age. Also, performance on word fluency tasks declines and is sensitive to the expression of dementia-related changes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of anodal tDCS combined with a word fluency training on language lateralization and word fluency performance in healthy elderly subjects and in persons with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods: The effect of anodal tDCS over the left inferio frontal gyrus (IFG) was measured in a group of healthy elderly up to the age of 67 years (YG, Ø = 63.9 ± 3.02), a group of healthy elderly aged 68 years and older (OG, Ø = 78.1, ± 4.85), and a group of patients with MCI (Ø = 81.18, ± 7.35) by comparing performance in phonological and semantic word fluency tasks before and after 3 days of tDCS. Half of the experimental participants received sham stimulation. In addition, language lateralization was determined using a lateralization index (LI) measured with functional transcranial Doppler sonography (fTCD) before and after the stimulation period. Results: Anodal tDCS was associated with significantly higher scores in phonological but not semantic word fluency in both YG and OG. In MCI patients, no difference was measured between the tDCS and sham groups in either word fluency task. fTCD showed significantly increased left lateralization in all three groups after the training phase. However, this effect was independent of tDCS and the degree of lateralization could not be predicted by word fluency performance in any of the groups. Discussion: Phonological word fluency can be increased with atDCS in healthy elderly people by stimulating the IFG in a 3-day training. When cognitive decline has reached a certain stage, as is the case with MCI, this paradigm does not seem to be effective enough.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Heimann
- Experimental Neurolinguistics Group, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sabine Weiss
- Experimental Neurolinguistics Group, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Clinical Linguistics, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Horst M. Müller
- Experimental Neurolinguistics Group, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Center for Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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Arrigoni E, Rappo E, Papagno C, Romero Lauro LJ, Pisoni A. Neural Correlates of Semantic Interference and Phonological Facilitation in Picture Naming: A Systematic Review and Coordinate-Based Meta-analysis. Neuropsychol Rev 2024:10.1007/s11065-024-09631-9. [PMID: 38319529 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-024-09631-9] [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: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Semantic interference (SI) and phonological facilitation (PF) effects occur when multiple representations are co-activated simultaneously in complex naming paradigms, manipulating the context in which word production is set. Although the behavioral consequences of these psycholinguistic effects are well-known, the involved brain structures are still controversial. This paper aims to provide a systematic review and a coordinate-based meta-analysis of the available functional neuroimaging studies investigating SI and PF in picture naming paradigms. The included studies were fMRI experiments on healthy subjects, employing paradigms in which co-activations of representations were obtained by manipulating the naming context using semantically or phonologically related items. We examined the principal methodological aspects of the included studies, emphasizing the existing commonalities and discrepancies across single investigations. We then performed an exploratory coordinate-based meta-analysis of the reported activation peaks of neural response related to SI and PF. Our results consolidated previous findings regarding the involvement of the left inferior frontal gyrus and the left middle temporal gyrus in SI and brought out the role of bilateral inferior parietal regions in PF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleonora Arrigoni
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, via Cadore 48, 29100, Monza, MB, Italy
| | - Eleonora Rappo
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, MI, Italy
| | - Costanza Papagno
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), Neurocognitive Rehabilitation Center (CeRiN), University of Trento, Via Matteo del Ben 5/b Bettini 31, 38068, Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Leonor J Romero Lauro
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, MI, Italy
| | - Alberto Pisoni
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126, Milan, MI, Italy.
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Nejati V, Estaji R, Helisaz Z. Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation Improves Verbal Fluency in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Brain Sci 2023; 13:1257. [PMID: 37759858 PMCID: PMC10526326 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13091257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) struggle with impaired verbal fluency as an executive function. The left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the right inferior frontal gurus (IFG), which show reduced functionality in individuals with ADHD, are involved in verbal fluency. In this study, a total of thirty-seven children with ADHD participated in two separate experiments. Each experiment included three different stimulation conditions: anodal left dlPFC/cathodal right vmPFC stimulation, the reversed montage, and a sham stimulation in Experiment 1, and anodal right dlPFC, anodal right IFG with extracranial return electrode, and a sham stimulation in Experiment 2. During each session, participants performed semantic and phonemic verbal fluency tasks while receiving tDCS. The results revealed a significant main effect of stimulation condition on phonemic verbal fluency during anodal left dlPFC stimulation in Experiment 1, and on semantic verbal fluency during both real stimulation conditions in Experiment 2. In conclusion, this study suggests that anodal left dlPFC stimulation improves phonemic verbal fluency, while anodal right dlPFC and right IFG stimulation enhance semantic verbal fluency. This domain-specific improvement can be attributed to the distinct cognitive demands of phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tasks. Phonemic verbal fluency heavily relies on working memory processes, whereas semantic verbal fluency requires effective inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Nejati
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran P.O. Box 1983969411, Iran
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Wang Z, Ficek BN, Webster KT, Herrmann O, Frangakis CE, Desmond JE, Onyike CU, Caffo B, Hillis AE, Tsapkini K. Specificity in Generalization Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus in Primary Progressive Aphasia. Neuromodulation 2023; 26:850-860. [PMID: 37287321 PMCID: PMC10250817 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurom.2022.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Generalization (or near-transfer) effects of an intervention to tasks not explicitly trained are the most desirable intervention outcomes. However, they are rarely reported and even more rarely explained. One hypothesis for generalization effects is that the tasks improved share the same brain function/computation with the intervention task. We tested this hypothesis in this study of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) that is claimed to be involved in selective semantic retrieval of information from the temporal lobes. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, we examined whether tDCS over the left IFG in a group of patients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA), paired with a lexical/semantic retrieval intervention (oral and written naming), may specifically improve semantic fluency, a nontrained near-transfer task that relies on selective semantic retrieval, in patients with PPA. RESULTS Semantic fluency improved significantly more in the active tDCS than in the sham tDCS condition immediately after and two weeks after treatment. This improvement was marginally significant two months after treatment. We also found that the active tDCS effect was specific to tasks that require this IFG computation (selective semantic retrieval) but not to other tasks that may require different computations of the frontal lobes. CONCLUSIONS We provided interventional evidence that the left IFG is critical for selective semantic retrieval, and tDCS over the left IFG may have a near-transfer effect on tasks that depend on the same computation, even if they are not specifically trained. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION The Clinicaltrials.gov registration number for the study is NCT02606422.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyi Wang
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Bronte N Ficek
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kimberly T Webster
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Olivia Herrmann
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Constantine E Frangakis
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - John E Desmond
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Neuroscience Program, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Chiadi U Onyike
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Brian Caffo
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Argye E Hillis
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kyrana Tsapkini
- Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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Balboa-Bandeira Y, Zubiaurre-Elorza L, García-Guerrero MA, Ibarretxe-Bilbao N, Ojeda N, Peña J. Effects of transcranial electrical stimulation techniques on foreign vocabulary learning. Behav Brain Res 2023; 438:114165. [PMID: 36270464 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114165] [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: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Although the use of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) techniques on healthy population has been linked to facilitating language learning, studies on their effects on foreign language learning processes are scarce and results remain unclear. The objective of this study was to analyze whether tES enhances foreign language learning processes. Sixty-four healthy native Spanish-speaking participants were randomly assigned to four groups (transcranial direct current, transcranial random noise, tDCS-tRNS stimulation, or sham). They completed two intervention sessions with a two-week gap in between. During the first session the participants received stimulation (1.5 mA) while learning new English words and then performed recall and recognition tasks. Learning was assessed at follow-up, two weeks later. No differences in learning between groups were observed in the first session (F(1,61)= .86; p = .36). At follow-up, significantly higher learning accuracy was observed after tRNS compared to sham (p = .037). These results suggest that tRNS could be helpful in improving the processes involved in foreign language vocabulary learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yolanda Balboa-Bandeira
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Leire Zubiaurre-Elorza
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | - M Acebo García-Guerrero
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Naroa Ibarretxe-Bilbao
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Natalia Ojeda
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Javier Peña
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain.
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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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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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Isella V, Licciardo D, Ferri F, Crivellaro C, Morzenti S, Appollonio I, Ferrarese C. Reduced phonemic fluency in progressive supranuclear palsy is due to dysfunction of dominant BA6. Front Aging Neurosci 2022; 14:969875. [PMID: 36158541 PMCID: PMC9492952 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.969875] [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: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Reduced phonemic fluency is extremely frequent in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), but its neural correlate is yet to be defined. Objective We explored the hypothesis that poor fluency in PSP might be due to neurodegeneration within a dominant frontal circuit known to be involved in speech fluency, including the opercular area, the superior frontal cortex (BA6), and the frontal aslant tract connecting these two regions. Methods We correlated performance on a letter fluency task (F, A, and S, 60 s for each letter) with brain metabolism as measured with Fluoro-deoxy-glucose Positron Emission Tomography, using Statistical Parametric Mapping, in 31 patients with PSP. Results Reduced letter fluency was associated with significant hypometabolism at the level of left BA6. Conclusion Our finding is the first evidence that in PSP, as in other neurogical disorders, poor self-initiated, effortful verbal retrieval appears to be linked to dysfunction of the dominant opercular-aslant-BA6 circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Isella
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Milano - Bicocca, Monza, Italy
- Milan Center for Neurosciences, Milan, Italy
| | - Daniele Licciardo
- Milan Center for Neurosciences, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy
| | - Francesca Ferri
- Milan Center for Neurosciences, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy
| | | | | | - Ildebrando Appollonio
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Milano - Bicocca, Monza, Italy
- Milan Center for Neurosciences, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy
| | - Carlo Ferrarese
- Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, University of Milano - Bicocca, Monza, Italy
- Milan Center for Neurosciences, Milan, Italy
- Neurology Unit, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy
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15
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Segregated circuits for phonemic and semantic fluency: A novel patient-tailored disconnection study. Neuroimage Clin 2022; 36:103149. [PMID: 35970113 PMCID: PMC9400120 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2022.103149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Phonemic and semantic fluency are neuropsychological tests widely used to assess patients' language and executive abilities and are highly sensitive tests in detecting language deficits in glioma patients. However, the networks that are involved in these tasks could be distinct and suggesting either a frontal (phonemic) or temporal (semantic) involvement. 42 right-handed patients (26 male, mean age = 52.5 years, SD=±13.3) were included in this retrospective study. Patients underwent awake (54.8%) or asleep (45.2%) surgery for low-grade (16.7%) or high-grade-glioma (83.3%) in the frontal (64.3%) or temporal lobe (35.7%) of the left (50%) or right (50%) hemisphere. Pre-operative tractography was reconstructed for each patient, with segmentation of the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), arcuate fasciculus (AF), uncinate fasciculus (UF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), third branch of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF-III), frontal aslant tract (FAT), and cortico-spinal tract (CST). Post-operative percentage of damage and disconnection of each tract, based on the patients' surgical cavities, were correlated with verbal fluencies scores at one week and one month after surgery. Analyses of differences between fluency scores at these timepoints (before surgery, one week and one month after surgery) were performed; lesion-symptom mapping was used to identify the correlation between cortical areas and post-operative scores. Immediately after surgery, a transient impairment of verbal fluency was observed, that improved within a month. Left hemisphere lesions were related to a worse verbal fluency performance, being a damage to the left superior frontal or temporal gyri associated with phonemic or semantic fluency deficit, respectively. At a subcortical level, disconnection analyses revealed that fluency scores were associated to the involvement of the left FAT and the left frontal part of the IFOF for phonemic fluency, and the association was still present one month after surgery. For semantic fluency, the correlation between post-surgery performance emerged for the left AF, UF, ILF and the temporal part of the IFOF, but disappeared at the follow-up. This approach based on the patients' pre-operative tractography, allowed to trace for the first time a dissociation between white matter pathways integrity and verbal fluency after surgery for glioma resection. Our results confirm the involvement of a frontal anterior pathway for phonemic fluency and a ventral temporal pathway for semantic fluency. Finally, our longitudinal results suggest that the frontal executive pathway requires a longer interval to recover compared to the semantic one.
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Association of Long-Term Speech Therapy and Neuromodulation in Primary Progressive Aphasia: Lessons from a Case Report. CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/ctn6030017] [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] Open
Abstract
Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a neurodegenerative disorder with a progressive loss of language. Long-term support requires speech therapy but also individually set training programs. Here we propose an 8-month individualized speech-training program which alternates 3-week periods of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) treatment with intensive daily language exercises and a 3-week period without tDCS treatment and a less intensive language exercise from home in a patient with non-fluent variant PPA (nfvPPA). The endpoints were the following: adherence to this program, language data after 8 months, questionnaires related to emotional valence, and brain volume changes. The results showed a persistent adherence after 8 months and a positive compliance reported by both the patient and the partner. The language evaluation showed a clinical stabilization. Moreover, a significant and positive influence of tDCS on mood was observed. This is, to our knowledge, the first ever published report of a combined neuromodulation and language training during the course of 8 months. Our finding suggests the feasibility of programs integrating hospital speech therapy, home training, and tDCS modulation in PPA. Further studies should be conducted in order to disentangle the contextual influences on language performance from the tDCS intervention effects and to address the observation of an initial improvement and a subsequent stabilization effect of language performances.
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17
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Nissim NR, Harvey DY, Haslam C, Friedman L, Bharne P, Litz G, Phillips JS, Cousins KAQ, Xie SX, Grossman M, Hamilton RH. Through Thick and Thin: Baseline Cortical Volume and Thickness Predict Performance and Response to Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Primary Progressive Aphasia. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:907425. [PMID: 35874157 PMCID: PMC9302040 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.907425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives We hypothesized that measures of cortical thickness and volume in language areas would correlate with response to treatment with high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) in persons with primary progressive aphasia (PPA). Materials and Methods In a blinded, within-group crossover study, PPA patients (N = 12) underwent a 2-week intervention HD-tDCS paired with constraint-induced language therapy (CILT). Multi-level linear regression (backward-fitted models) were performed to assess cortical measures as predictors of tDCS-induced naming improvements, measured by the Western Aphasia Battery-naming subtest, from baseline to immediately after and 6 weeks post-intervention. Results Greater baseline thickness of the pars opercularis significantly predicted naming gains (p = 0.03) immediately following intervention, while greater thickness of the middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and lower thickness of the superior temporal gyrus (STG) significantly predicted 6-week naming gains (p's < 0.02). Thickness did not predict naming gains in sham. Volume did not predict immediate gains for active stimulation. Greater volume of the pars triangularis and MTG, but lower STG volume significantly predicted 6-week naming gains in active stimulation. Greater pars orbitalis and MTG volume, and lower STG volume predicted immediate naming gains in sham (p's < 0.05). Volume did not predict 6-week naming gains in sham. Conclusion Cortical thickness and volume were predictive of tDCS-induced naming improvement in PPA patients. The finding that frontal thickness predicted immediate active tDCS-induced naming gains while temporal areas predicted naming changes at 6-week suggests that a broader network of regions may be important for long-term maintenance of treatment gains. The finding that volume predicted immediate naming performance in the sham condition may reflect the benefits of behavioral speech language therapy and neural correlates of its short-lived treatment gains. Collectively, thickness and volume were predictive of treatment gains in the active condition but not sham, suggesting that pairing HD-tDCS with CILT may be important for maintaining treatment effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole R. Nissim
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Elkins Park, PA, United States
| | - Denise Y. Harvey
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Christopher Haslam
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Leah Friedman
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Pandurang Bharne
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Geneva Litz
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jeffrey S. Phillips
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Katheryn A. Q. Cousins
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Sharon X. Xie
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Murray Grossman
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Penn Frontotemporal Degeneration Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Roy H. Hamilton
- Laboratory for Cognition and Neural Stimulation, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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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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Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique to treat brain disorders by using a constant, low current to stimulate targeted cortex regions. Compared to the conventional tDCS that uses two large pad electrodes, multiple electrode tDCS has recently received more attention. It is able to achieve better stimulation performance in terms of stimulation intensity and focality. In this paper, we first establish a computational model of tDCS, and then propose a novel optimization algorithm using a regularization matrix λ to explore the balance between stimulation intensity and focality. The simulation study is designed such that the performance of state-of-the-art algorithms and the proposed algorithm can be compared via quantitative evaluation. The results show that the proposed algorithm not only achieves desired intensity, but also smaller target error and better focality. Robustness analysis indicates that the results are stable within the ranges of scalp and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) conductivities, while the skull conductivity is most sensitive and should be carefully considered in real clinical applications.
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20
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10-Hz tACS over the prefrontal cortex improves phonemic fluency in healthy individuals. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8305. [PMID: 35585105 PMCID: PMC9117193 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-11961-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Verbal fluency is an important indicator of human verbal ability. Methods to improve fluency is an interesting issue necessitating investigation. To do this, the current study required participants to randomly receive transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 10 Hz, 40 Hz (control frequency), and sham stimulation over the prefrontal cortex before a phonemic fluency task. It was found that 10-Hz tACS significantly improved phonemic fluency relative to sham stimulation. This result demonstrates the modulatory effect of 10-Hz tACS on language ability.
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21
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Gnedykh D, Tsvetova D, Mkrtychian N, Blagovechtchenski E, Kostromina S, Shtyrov Y. Broca’s area involvement in abstract and concrete word acquisition: tDCS evidence. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2022; 192:107622. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2022.107622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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22
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Sanches C, Amzallag F, Dubois B, Lévy R, Truong DQ, Bikson M, Teichmann M, Valero-Cabré A. Evaluation of the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on language impairments in the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia. Brain Commun 2022; 4:fcac050. [PMID: 35356034 PMCID: PMC8963324 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcac050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 12/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by bilateral atrophy of the prefrontal cortex, gradual deterioration of behavioural and executive capacities, a breakdown of language initiation and impaired search mechanisms in the lexicon. To date, only a few studies have analysed the modulation of language deficits in the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia patients with transcranial direct current stimulation, yet with inconsistent results. Our goal was to assess the impact on language performance of a single session of transcranial direct current stimulation on patients with the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia. Using a sham-controlled double-blind crossover design in a cohort of behavioural frontotemporal dementia patients (n = 12), we explored the impact on language performance of a single transcranial direct current stimulation session delivering anodal or cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation, over the left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, compared with sham stimulation. A Letter fluency and a Picture naming task were performed prior and following transcranial direct current stimulation, to assess modulatory effects on language. Behavioural frontotemporal dementia patients were impaired in all evaluation tasks at baseline compared with healthy controls. Computational finite element method (FEM) models of cortical field distribution corroborated expected impacts of left-anodal and right-cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and showed lower radial field strength in case of atrophy. However, none of the two tasks showed statistically significant evidence of language improvement caused by active transcranial direct current stimulation compared with sham. Our findings do not argue in favour of pre-therapeutic effects and suggest that stimulation strategies evaluating the modulatory role of transcranial direct current stimulation in the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia must carefully weigh the influence of symptom severity and cortical atrophy affecting prefrontal regions to ensure clinical success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clara Sanches
- Groupe de Dynamiques Cérébrales, Plasticité et Rééducation, FRONTLAB team, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, CNRS UMR 7225, INSERM 1127, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Fanny Amzallag
- Groupe de Dynamiques Cérébrales, Plasticité et Rééducation, FRONTLAB team, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, CNRS UMR 7225, INSERM 1127, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Bruno Dubois
- Groupe de Dynamiques Cérébrales, Plasticité et Rééducation, FRONTLAB team, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, CNRS UMR 7225, INSERM 1127, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Department of Neurology, National Reference Center for « PPA and rare dementias », Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Richard Lévy
- Groupe de Dynamiques Cérébrales, Plasticité et Rééducation, FRONTLAB team, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, CNRS UMR 7225, INSERM 1127, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Department of Neurology, National Reference Center for « PPA and rare dementias », Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Dennis Q. Truong
- Neural Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marom Bikson
- Neural Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, The City College of City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marc Teichmann
- Groupe de Dynamiques Cérébrales, Plasticité et Rééducation, FRONTLAB team, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, CNRS UMR 7225, INSERM 1127, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Department of Neurology, National Reference Center for « PPA and rare dementias », Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Antoni Valero-Cabré
- Groupe de Dynamiques Cérébrales, Plasticité et Rééducation, FRONTLAB team, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, CNRS UMR 7225, INSERM 1127, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Laboratory for Cerebral Dynamics Plasticity and Rehabilitation, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
- Cognitive Neuroscience and Information Technology Research Program, Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Barcelona, Spain
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Anodal tDCS over Broca's area improves fast mapping and explicit encoding of novel vocabulary. Neuropsychologia 2022; 168:108156. [PMID: 35026217 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108156] [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: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
An accumulating body of evidence suggests that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can be used to modulate speech processing both in healthy individuals and in patients with speech disorders. There has been, however, no comprehensive study of effects of tDCS of the core language areas in relation to the main word-learning mechanisms. Two principal strategies have been posited as important for natural word acquisition: explicit encoding (EE) which relies on direct instructions and repetition of material, and fast mapping (FM) which operates implicitly, via context-based inference or deduction. We used anodal and cathodal tDCS of Broca's and Wernicke's areas to assess effects of stimulation site and polarity on novel word acquisition in both EE and FM regimes. 160 participants, divided into five groups, received 15 min of cathodal or anodal tDCS over one of the two areas or a sham (placebo) stimulation before learning eight novel words, presented ten times each in a short naturalistic audio-visual word-picture association session, fully counterbalanced across different learning regimes. Behavioural outcome of novel word acquisition was measured immediately after the training in a free recall task, which showed elevated accuracy in all real stimulation groups in comparison with sham stimulation; however, this effect only reached full significance after anodal tDCS of Broca's area. Comparisons between the two learning modes indicated that Broca's anodal tDCS significantly improved both implicit and explicit acquisition of novel vocabulary in comparison with sham tDCS, without, however, any significant differences between EE and FM regimes as such. The results indicate involvement of the left inferior-frontal neocortex in the learning of novel vocabulary and suggest a possibility to promote different types of word acquisition using anodal tDCS of this area.
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Cavendish BA, de Lima MFR, Perícoli L, Buratto LG. Effects of combining retrieval practice and tDCS over long-term memory: A randomized controlled trial. Brain Cogn 2021; 156:105807. [PMID: 34949566 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105807] [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: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The ability to retain new information is important in daily life. In particular, two techniques have shown promise for improving long-term retention: retrieval practice (RP), which consists of actively retrieving information from long-term memory to make it more accessible in the future; and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which consists of non-invasive brain stimulation that modulates cognitive processes by increasing and decreasing neuronal excitability. Previous studies have implicated the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-dlPFC) in memory encoding and memory organization. We examined whether RP associated with a single 20-min tDCS session over the l-dlPFC could improve long-term memory retention. Participants (N = 119) repeatedly studied a list of related words either via RP or via restudy, while undergoing either anodal or sham stimulation. Participants returned 2 days later for a free-recall test. Results showed that the RP group outperformed the restudy group in all measures, regardless of stimulation type. Also, recall organization was higher in the RP group than in the restudy group. The data support previous findings and indicate that RP may enhance performance by improving the organization of the to-be-remembered list items.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Araújo Cavendish
- Department of Basic Psychological Processes, Institute of Psychology, University of Brasília, Brasília 70.910-900, Brazil.
| | | | - Lara Perícoli
- Department of Basic Psychological Processes, Institute of Psychology, University of Brasília, Brasília 70.910-900, Brazil
| | - Luciano Grüdtner Buratto
- Department of Basic Psychological Processes, Institute of Psychology, University of Brasília, Brasília 70.910-900, Brazil
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25
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Saporta N, Peled-Avron L, Scheele D, Lieberz J, Hurlemann R, Shamay-Tsoory SG. Touched by Loneliness - How Loneliness Impacts the Response to Observed Human Touch: a tDCS Study. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:142-150. [PMID: 34907421 PMCID: PMC8824677 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab122] [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: 02/09/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Lonely people often crave connectedness. However, they may also experience their environment as threatening, entering a self-preserving state that perpetuates loneliness. Research shows conflicting evidence about their response to positive social cues, and little is known about their experience of observed human touch. The right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) is part of an observation–execution network implicated in observed touch perception. Correlative studies also point to rIFG’s involvement in loneliness. We examined the causal effect of rIFG anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on high- and low-loneliness individuals observing human touch. In a cross-over design study, 40 participants watched pictures of humans or objects touching or not touching during anodal and sham stimulations. Participants indicated whether pictures contained humans or objects, and their reaction time was measured. Results show that the reaction time of low-loneliness individuals to observed human touch was significantly slower during anodal stimulation compared to high-loneliness individuals, possibly due to them being more emotionally distracted by it. Lonely individuals also reported less liking of touch. Our findings support the notion that lonely individuals are not drawn to positive social cues. This may help explain the perpetuation of loneliness, despite social opportunities that could be available to lonely people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nira Saporta
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Leehe Peled-Avron
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel
| | - Dirk Scheele
- Division of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Jana Lieberz
- Division of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Bonn, 53105 Bonn, Germany
| | - René Hurlemann
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany.,Research Center Neurosensory Science, University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
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26
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Chiang HS, Motes M, O'Hair R, Vanneste S, Kraut M, Hart J. Baseline delayed verbal recall predicts response to high definition transcranial direct current stimulation targeting the superior medial frontal cortex. Neurosci Lett 2021; 764:136204. [PMID: 34478816 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Anodal high definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) targeting the pre-supplementary motor area/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (pre-SMA/dACC) has recently been shown to improve verbal retrieval deficits in veterans with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI) (Motes et al., 2020), but predictors of treatment response are unclear. We hypothesized that baseline delayed verbal recall, a sensitive measure for post-TBI chronic cognitive decline, would predict therapeutic effects of HD-tDCS targeting the pre-SMA/dACC for verbal retrieval deficits. Standardized verbal retrieval measures were administered at baseline, immediately after and 8 weeks after treatment completion. We applied mixed generalized linear modeling as a post-hoc subgroup analysis to the verbal retrieval scores that showed significant improvement in Motes at el. (2020) to examine effects of active stimulation across the groups with baseline-intact delayed recall (N = 10) and baseline-impaired delayed recall (N = 8), compared to sham (N = 7). Individuals with impaired baseline delayed recall showed significant improvement (compared to baseline) in both category fluency and color-word inhibition/switch, while individuals with intact delayed recall showed significant improvement only in color-word inhibition/switch. Baseline delayed verbal recall may therefore be considered as a predictor for future electromodulation studies targeting frontal structures to treat TBI-related verbal deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsueh-Sheng Chiang
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA; School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA.
| | - Michael Motes
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA
| | - Rachel O'Hair
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA
| | - Sven Vanneste
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA; Global Brain Health Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
| | - Michael Kraut
- Department of Radiology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
| | - John Hart
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA; School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, USA; Department of Psychiatry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA
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27
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Coemans S, Struys E, Vandenborre D, Wilssens I, Engelborghs S, Paquier P, Tsapkini K, Keulen S. A Systematic Review of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Primary Progressive Aphasia: Methodological Considerations. Front Aging Neurosci 2021; 13:710818. [PMID: 34690737 PMCID: PMC8530184 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2021.710818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A variety of tDCS approaches has been used to investigate the potential of tDCS to improve language outcomes, or slow down the decay of language competences caused by Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA). The employed stimulation protocols and study designs in PPA are generally speaking similar to those deployed in post-stroke aphasic populations. These two etiologies of aphasia however differ substantially in their pathophysiology, and for both conditions the optimal stimulation paradigm still needs to be established. A systematic review was done and after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 articles were analyzed focusing on differences and similarities across studies especially focusing on PPA patient characteristics (age, PPA variant, language background), tDCS stimulation protocols (intensity, frequency, combined therapy, electrode configuration) and study design as recent reviews and group outcomes for individual studies suggest tDCS is an effective tool to improve language outcomes, while methodological approach and patient characteristics are mentioned as moderators that may influence treatment effects. We found that studies of tDCS in PPA have clinical and methodological and heterogeneity regarding patient populations, stimulation protocols and study design. While positive group results are usually found irrespective of these differences, the magnitude, duration and generalization of these outcomes differ when comparing stimulation locations, and when results are stratified according to the clinical variant of PPA. We interpret the results of included studies in light of patient characteristics and methodological decisions. Further, we highlight the role neuroimaging can play in study protocols and interpreting results and make recommendations for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Coemans
- Clinical and Experimental Neurolinguistics, CLIEN, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Esli Struys
- Clinical and Experimental Neurolinguistics, CLIEN, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Center for Neurosciences (C4N), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Dorien Vandenborre
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ineke Wilssens
- Department of Speech and Language Pathology, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sebastiaan Engelborghs
- Center for Neurosciences (C4N), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Neurology, Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Reference Center for Biological Markers of Dementia, BIODEM, Institute Born-Bunge, Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Philippe Paquier
- Clinical and Experimental Neurolinguistics, CLIEN, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.,Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences (CRCN), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Antwerp, Belgium.,Department of Translational Neurosciences (TNW), Universiteit Antwerpen, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Kyrana Tsapkini
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Stefanie Keulen
- Clinical and Experimental Neurolinguistics, CLIEN, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
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28
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Balboa-Bandeira Y, Zubiaurre-Elorza L, Ibarretxe-Bilbao N, Ojeda N, Peña J. Effects of transcranial electrical stimulation techniques on second and foreign language learning enhancement in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuropsychologia 2021; 160:107985. [PMID: 34371068 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) techniques have been used to enhance different cognitive domains such as language in healthy adults. While several reviews and meta-analysis have been conducted on the effects of tES on different language skills (picture naming, verbal fluency, word reading), there has been little research conducted to date on the effects of tES on the processes involved in foreign language learning. OBJECTIVE A meta-analysis was performed to quantify the effects of tES on foreign language learning processes (non-words, artificial grammar, and foreign languages), focusing on accuracy, response times and 1-week follow-up effects, if reported by the studies. RESULTS Eleven studies that had sham condition were reviewed. Nine of them were analyzed, including five using within-participant design, and four that employed between-participant design. The final analysis encompassed nine studies with 279 healthy participants. The analysis showed moderate enhancing effects of tES on overall language learning (g = 0.50, 95 % CI [0.29, 0.71], p = .0001). However, results were not significant on follow up data (g = 0.54, 95 % CI [-0.12, 1.20], p = .07), and on response times (g = 0.50, 95 % CI [-0.1, 1.18], p = .10). The effects were significantly moderated by years of education. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that tES seems to enhance the mechanisms involved in foreign language learning; however, more research is needed to understand the impact scope of these techniques on language learning processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Natalia Ojeda
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Javier Peña
- Department of Methods and Experimental Psychology, University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain.
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29
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Smirni D, Oliveri M, Misuraca E, Catania A, Vernuccio L, Picciolo V, Inzerillo F, Barbagallo M, Cipolotti L, Turriziani P. Verbal Fluency in Mild Alzheimer's Disease: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex. J Alzheimers Dis 2021; 81:1273-1283. [PMID: 33935089 DOI: 10.3233/jad-210003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent studies showed that in healthy controls and in aphasic patients, inhibitory trains of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the right prefrontal cortex can improve phonemic fluency performance, while anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left prefrontal cortex can improve performance in naming and semantic fluency tasks. OBJECTIVE This study aimed at investigating the effects of cathodal tDCS over the left or the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on verbal fluency tasks (VFT) in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS Forty mild AD patients participated in the study (mean age 73.17±5.61 years). All participants underwent cognitive baseline tasks and a VFT twice. Twenty patients randomly received cathodal tDCS to the left or the right DLPFC, and twenty patients were assigned to a control group in which only the two measures of VFT were taken, without the administration of the tDCS. RESULTS A significant improvement of performance on the VFT in AD patients was present after tDCS over the right DLPFC (p = 0.001). Instead, no difference was detected between the two VFTs sessions after tDCS over the left DLPFC (p = 0.42). Furthermore, these results cannot be related to task learning effects, since no significant difference was found between the two VFT sessions in the control group (p = 0.73). CONCLUSION These data suggest that tDCS over DLPFC can improve VFT performance in AD patients. A hypothesis is that tDCS enhances adaptive patterns of brain activity between functionally connected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Smirni
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.,NeuroTeam Life and Science, Palermo, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Oliveri
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.,NeuroTeam Life and Science, Palermo, Italy
| | | | | | - Laura Vernuccio
- Geriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Valentina Picciolo
- Geriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Flora Inzerillo
- Geriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Mario Barbagallo
- Geriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Lisa Cipolotti
- Department of Neuropsychology, National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, London, UK
| | - Patrizia Turriziani
- Department of Psychology, Educational Science and Human Movement, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.,NeuroTeam Life and Science, Palermo, Italy
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30
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de Aguiar V, Rofes A, Wendt H, Ficek BN, Webster K, Tsapkini K. Treating lexical retrieval using letter fluency and tDCS in primary progressive aphasia: a single-case study. APHASIOLOGY 2021; 36:353-379. [PMID: 38765920 PMCID: PMC11101187 DOI: 10.1080/02687038.2021.1881432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Background In early stages, individuals with Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) report language symptoms while scoring within norm in formal language tests. Early intervention is important due to the progressive nature of the disease. Method We report a single case study of an individual with logopenic variant PPA (lvPPA). We tested whether letter fluency, used as a therapy task, can improve lexical retrieval when combined with tDCS to either the left inferior-frontal gyrus (IFG) or the left inferior parietal lobe (IPL), administered in two separate therapy phases separated by a wash-out period of three months. Outcomes and results We observed increases in number of words retrieved during a letter fluency task in trained and untrained letters, when letter fluency therapy (LeFT) was administered with anodal tDCS. When LeFT was combined with left IFG stimulation, words produced in a letter fluency task were lower frequency and higher age of acquisition after treatment, compared to before treatment and there was also an increase in accuracy and response times in an untrained picture-naming task. Conclusions The results indicate that letter fluency therapy combined anodal tDCS is effective in improving lexical retrieval, particularly when left IFG stimulation was used. Effects generalize beyond the trained task, albeit slowing down of responses in picture naming. This task may provide a useful clinical intervention strategy for patients with mild anomia, who are not challenged enough by traditional naming therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vânia de Aguiar
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen
| | - Adrià Rofes
- Center for Language and Cognition Groningen (CLCG), University of Groningen
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University
| | - Haley Wendt
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medicine
| | | | - Kimberly Webster
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine
| | - Kyrana Tsapkini
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medicine
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31
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Sumiyoshi C, Narita Z, Inagawa T, Yamada Y, Sueyoshi K, Hasegawa Y, Shirama A, Hashimoto R, Sumiyoshi T. Facilitative Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Semantic Memory Examined by Text-Mining Analysis in Patients With Schizophrenia. Front Neurol 2021; 12:583027. [PMID: 33643185 PMCID: PMC7905092 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.583027] [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: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Beneficial effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are relevant to cognition and functional capacity, in addition to psychiatric symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. However, whether tDCS would improve higher-order cognition, e.g., semantic memory organization, has remained unclear. Recently, text-mining analyses have been shown to reveal semantic memory. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether tDCS would improve semantic memory, as evaluated by text-mining analyses of category fluency data, in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Twenty-eight patients entered the study. Cognitive assessment including the category fluency task was conducted at baseline (before tDCS treatment) and 1 month after t administration of tDCS (2 mA × 20 min, twice per day) for 5 days, according to our previous study. The category fluency data were also obtained from 335 healthy control subjects. The verbal outputs (i.e., animal names) from the category fluency task were submitted to singular valued decomposition (SVD) analysis. Semantic memory structures were estimated by calculating inter-item cosines (i.e., similarities) among animal names frequently produced in the category fluency task. Data were analyzed longitudinally and cross-sectionally to compare the semantic structure within the patient group (i.e., baseline vs. follow-up) and between groups (patients vs. healthy controls). In the former, semantic associations for frequent items were compared in the form of cosine profiles, while in the latter, the difference in the magnitude of the correlations for inter-item cosines between healthy controls and patients (baseline, follow-up) was examined. Results: Cosine profiles in the patient group became more cluster-based (i.e., pet, carnivores, and herbivores) at follow-up compared to those at baseline, yielding higher cosines within subcategories. The correlational coefficient of inter-item cosines between healthy controls and patients was significantly greater at follow-up compared to baseline; semantic associations in patients approached the normality status after multi-session tDCS. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the facilitative effect of tDCS on semantic memory organization in patients with schizophrenia. Text-mining analysis was indicated to effectively evaluate semantic memory structures in patients with psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chika Sumiyoshi
- Faculty of Human Development and Culture, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan.,Department of Preventive Intervention for Psychiatric Disorders, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Zui Narita
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Takuma Inagawa
- Department of Psychiatry, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Yuji Yamada
- Department of Psychiatry, National Center Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Kazuki Sueyoshi
- Department of Preventive Intervention for Psychiatric Disorders, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Yumi Hasegawa
- Department of Preventive Intervention for Psychiatric Disorders, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Aya Shirama
- Department of Preventive Intervention for Psychiatric Disorders, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
| | - Ryota Hashimoto
- Department of Pathology of Mental Diseases, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan.,Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Tomiki Sumiyoshi
- Department of Preventive Intervention for Psychiatric Disorders, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Japan
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32
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Freire AMN, Gagliardi RJ, Santos MDD. Effect of speech therapy intervention program for non-fluent aphasic patients after stroke. Codas 2021; 32:e20190124. [PMID: 33503209 DOI: 10.1590/2317-1782/20202019124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE the objective of this paper is to verify the effect of speech therapy intervention program in patients with non-fluent aphasia due to stroke in language tasks related to verbal fluency in semantic and phonological categories. METHODS Patients with aphasia due to stroke were selected to take part in this study. Two groups were formed: diagnosed patients with Broca/transcortical motor aphasia (GA), and a control group (healthy individuals). GA took a fluency verbal task (FAS, other complementary categories: phonological /p/ /l/ and semantic: "fruits" and "names"). These patients were all engaged in a language intervention program developed by the authors of this study. GA received speech therapy sessions (ten sessions lasting for an hour once a week), following a specific language program. After the sessions, the patients were re-evaluated. RESULTS GA had statistical significant improvement in the verbal fluency task after the speech therapy program (p-value < 0,001). CONCLUSION The speech language therapy program we proposed was efficient enough to show improvement in the results for GA in the verbal fluency task.
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33
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Kurmakaeva D, Blagovechtchenski E, Gnedykh D, Mkrtychian N, Kostromina S, Shtyrov Y. Acquisition of concrete and abstract words is modulated by tDCS of Wernicke's area. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1508. [PMID: 33452288 PMCID: PMC7811021 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-79967-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous behavioural and neuroimaging research suggested distinct cortical systems involved in processing abstract and concrete semantics; however, there is a dearth of causal evidence to support this. To address this, we applied anodal, cathodal, or sham (placebo) tDCS over Wernicke’s area before a session of contextual learning of novel concrete and abstract words (n = 10 each), presented five times in short stories. Learning effects were assessed at lexical and semantic levels immediately after the training and, to attest any consolidation effects of overnight sleep, on the next day. We observed successful learning of all items immediately after the session, with decreased performance in Day 2 assessment. Importantly, the results differed between stimulation conditions and tasks. Whereas the accuracy of semantic judgement for abstract words was significantly lower in the sham and anodal groups on Day 2 vs. Day 1, no significant performance drop was observed in the cathodal group. Similarly, the cathodal group showed no significant overnight performance reduction in the free recall task for either of the stimuli, unlike the other two groups. Furthermore, between-group analysis showed an overall better performance of both tDCS groups over the sham group, particularly expressed for abstract semantics and cathodal stimulation. In sum, the results suggest overlapping but diverging brain mechanisms for concrete and abstract semantics and indicate a larger degree of involvement of core language areas in storing abstract knowledge. Furthermore, they demonstrate a possiblity to improve learning outcomes using neuromodulatory techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Kurmakaeva
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg University, Saint Petersburg, 199004, Russian Federation.
| | - Evgeny Blagovechtchenski
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg University, Saint Petersburg, 199004, Russian Federation
| | - Daria Gnedykh
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg University, Saint Petersburg, 199004, Russian Federation
| | - Nadezhda Mkrtychian
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg University, Saint Petersburg, 199004, Russian Federation
| | - Svetlana Kostromina
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg University, Saint Petersburg, 199004, Russian Federation
| | - Yury Shtyrov
- Laboratory of Behavioural Neurodynamics, Saint Petersburg University, Saint Petersburg, 199004, Russian Federation.,Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience (CFIN), Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark
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34
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The left prefrontal cortex supports inhibitory processing during semantic memory retrieval. Cortex 2020; 134:296-306. [PMID: 33316604 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Semantic control refers to a set of neural and cognitive mechanisms that govern semantic processing and retrieval. Neuroimaging studies have indicated that controlled semantic processing engages the left prefrontal cortex (PFC), yet the functional role of the prefrontal activity in semantic control is poorly understood and was therefore addressed in the present study. We used a double-blind randomized controlled experiment, in which participants from three distinct groups received anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over left lateral PFC (n = 40), a control tDCS over temporoparietal cortex (n = 40), or sham stimulation (n = 41), while executing automatic and controlled semantic retrieval tasks as well as additional control tasks assessing working memory and semantic judgement. We demonstrate that anodal tDCS of the left lateral PFC improved inhibition of prepotent semantic associations but had no significant effect on retrieval of habitual associates or switching between retrieval rules. The prefrontal tDCS also enhanced working memory capacity, but this effect did not account for the improved semantic inhibition. The control temporoparietal tDCS did not affect semantic retrieval. Our findings show that semantic inhibition and switching represent distinct components of the semantic control system and indicate that the left lateral PFC is involved in a filtering process that constrains the accessible semantic representations (i.e., a proactive pre-retrieval inhibition) or suppresses already retrieved responses (i.e., a retroactive post-retrieval inhibition). The recognition of such an inhibitory process could inspire novel treatments targeting altered semantic processing.
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35
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Duffau H. Can Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Be Considered to Facilitate Reoperation for Low-Grade Glioma Relapse by Eliciting Neuroplasticity? Front Neurol 2020; 11:582489. [PMID: 33304307 PMCID: PMC7693634 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.582489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Hugues Duffau
- Department of Neurosurgery, Gui de Chauliac Hospital, Montpellier University Medical Center, Montpellier, France
- Team “Plasticity of Central Nervous System, Stem Cells and Glial Tumors, ” National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), U1191 Laboratory, Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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Klaus J, Hartwigsen G. Failure to Improve Verbal Fluency with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. Neuroscience 2020; 449:123-133. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Matar SJ, Sorinola IO, Newton C, Pavlou M. Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation May Improve Discourse Production in Healthy Older Adults. Front Neurol 2020; 11:935. [PMID: 32982943 PMCID: PMC7479316 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The use of transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) for therapeutic and neurorehabilitation purposes has become increasingly popular in recent years. Previous research has found that anodal tDCS may enhance naming ability and verbal fluency in healthy participants. However, the effect of tDCS on more functional, higher level language skills such as discourse production has yet to be understood. Aims: The present study aimed to investigate in healthy, older adults (a) the effect of anodal tDCS on discourse production vs. sham stimulation and (b) optimal electrode placement for tDCS to target language improvement at the discourse level. Methods: Fourteen healthy, older right-handed participants took part in this sham controlled, repeated measures pilot study. Each participant experienced three different experimental conditions; anodal tDCS on the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), anodal tDCS on the right IFG and sham stimulation while performing a story telling task. Significant changes in language performance before and after each condition were examined in three discourse production tasks: recount, procedural and narrative. Results: Left and right IFG conditions showed a greater number of significant within-group improvements (p < 0.05) in discourse production compared to sham with 6/12 for left IFG, 4/12 for right IFG and 2/12 for sham. There were no significant differences noted between tDCS conditions. No relationship was noted between language performance and physical activity, age, or gender. Conclusions: This study suggests that anodal tDCS may significantly improve discourse production in healthy, older adults. In line with previous tDCS language studies, the left IFG is highlighted as an optimal stimulation site for the modulation of language in healthy speakers. The findings support further exploration of tDCS as a rehabilitative tool for higher-level language skills in persons with aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shereen J Matar
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Isaac O Sorinola
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline Newton
- Division of Psychology & Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marousa Pavlou
- Centre for Human & Applied Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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Birba A, Vitale F, Padrón I, Dottori M, de Vega M, Zimerman M, Sedeño L, Ibáñez A, García AM. Electrifying discourse: Anodal tDCS of the primary motor cortex selectively reduces action appraisal in naturalistic narratives. Cortex 2020; 132:460-472. [PMID: 32950239 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Non-invasive stimulation of the primary motor cortex (M1) modulates processing of decontextualized action words and sentences (i.e., verbal units denoting bodily motion). This suggests that language comprehension hinges on brain circuits mediating the bodily experiences evoked by verbal material. Yet, despite its relevance to constrain mechanistic language models, such a finding fails to reveal whether and how relevant circuits operate in the face of full-blown, everyday texts. Using a novel naturalistic discourse paradigm, we examined whether direct modulation of M1 excitability influences the grasping of narrated actions. Following random group assignment, participants received anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the left M1, or sham stimulation of the same area, or anodal stimulation of the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. Immediately afterwards, they listened to action-laden and neutral stories and answered questions on information realized by verbs (denoting action and non-action processes) and circumstances (conveying locative or temporal details). Anodal stimulation of the left M1 selectively decreased outcomes on action-relative to non-action information -a pattern that discriminated between stimulated and sham participants with 74% accuracy. This result was particular to M1 and held irrespective of the subjects' working memory and vocabulary skills, further attesting to its specificity. Our findings suggest that offline modulation of motor-network excitability might lead to transient unavailability of putative resources needed to evoke actions in naturalistic texts, opening promising avenues for the language embodiment framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustina Birba
- Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Francesca Vitale
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia (IUNE), Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Iván Padrón
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia (IUNE), Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Martín Dottori
- Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Manuel de Vega
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia (IUNE), Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Máximo Zimerman
- Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lucas Sedeño
- National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience (CSCN), School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Universidad Autónoma del Caribe, Barranquilla, Colombia; Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, United States
| | - Adolfo M García
- Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, United States; Faculty of Education, National University of Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina; Departamento de Lingüística y Literatura, Facultad de Humanidades, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
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Wiltshire CEE, Watkins KE. Failure of tDCS to modulate motor excitability and speech motor learning. Neuropsychologia 2020; 146:107568. [PMID: 32687836 PMCID: PMC7534039 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates cortical excitability in a polarity-specific way and, when used in combination with a behavioural task, it can alter performance. TDCS has the potential, therefore, for use as an adjunct to therapies designed to treat disorders affecting speech, including, but not limited to acquired aphasias and developmental stuttering. For this reason, it is important to conduct studies evaluating its effectiveness and the parameters optimal for stimulation. Here, we aimed to evaluate the effects of bi-hemispheric tDCS over speech motor cortex on performance of a complex speech motor learning task, namely the repetition of tongue twisters. A previous study in older participants showed that tDCS could modulate performance on a similar task. To further understand the effects of tDCS, we also measured the excitability of the speech motor cortex before and after stimulation. Three groups of 20 healthy young controls received: (i) anodal tDCS to the left IFG/LipM1 and cathodal tDCS to the right hemisphere homologue; or (ii) cathodal tDCS over the left and anodal over the right; or (iii) sham stimulation. Participants heard and repeated novel tongue twisters and matched simple sentences before, during and 10 min after the stimulation. One mA tDCS was delivered concurrent with task performance for 13 min. Motor excitability was measured using transcranial magnetic stimulation to elicit motor-evoked potentials in the lip before and immediately after tDCS. The study was double-blind, randomized, and sham-controlled; the design and analysis were pre-registered. Performance on the task improved from baseline to after stimulation but was not significantly modulated by tDCS. Similarly, a small decrease in motor excitability was seen in all three stimulation groups but did not differ among them and was unrelated to task performance. Bayesian analyses provide substantial evidence in support of the null hypotheses in both cases, namely that tongue twister performance and motor excitability were not affected by tDCS. We discuss our findings in the context of the previous positive results for a similar task. We conclude that tDCS may be most effective when brain function is sub-optimal due to age-related declines or pathology. Further study is required to determine why tDCS failed to modulate excitability in the speech motor cortex in the expected ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte E E Wiltshire
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, University of Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK.
| | - Kate E Watkins
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, University of Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK.
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40
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Bartel G, Marko M, Rameses I, Lamm C, Riečanský I. Left Prefrontal Cortex Supports the Recognition of Meaningful Patterns in Ambiguous Stimuli. Front Neurosci 2020; 14:152. [PMID: 32153364 PMCID: PMC7050495 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2020.00152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Processing of ambiguous visual stimuli has been associated with an increased activation of the left lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) in neuroimaging studies. Nevertheless, the functional role of prefrontal activity in this process is not fully understood. In this experiment we asked participants to evaluate ambiguous inkblots from the Rorschach test, while stimulating the left lateral PFC using excitatory anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In addition, visual insight ability was assessed as a control measure requiring visual and conceptual restructuring and convergent thinking rather than divergent idea generation employed to interpret the equivocal Rorschach inkblots. Using a randomized double-blind design, we demonstrated that anodal tDCS increased the number of meaningful patterns recognized in the inkblots but had no significant effect on visual insight. These findings support the role of left lateral PFC in the processing of ambiguous visual information and object recognition. More generally, we discuss that the PFC may be involved in the mechanisms supporting the activation of stored visual and semantic representations in order to compensate for less informative bottom-up inputs and thus facilitate flexible cognition and idea generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégory Bartel
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Martin Marko
- Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.,Department of Applied Informatics, Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Imani Rameses
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Igor Riečanský
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Behavioural Neuroscience, Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology, Centre of Experimental Medicine, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
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41
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Yamamoto S, Ishii D, Ichiba N, Yozu A, Kohno Y. Cathodal tDCS on the motor area decreases the tactile threshold of the distal pulp of the hallux. Neurosci Lett 2020; 719:133887. [PMID: 30339919 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.10.032] [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: 03/06/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been reported to modulate cortical excitability. Most studies on this topic addressed the modulation effects of tDCS on the upper extremities. Foot-sole tactile sensation is essential to gait, but little is known about the effect of tDCS on sensory function in the foot area. Here we administered tDCS to 10 healthy adults, and we observed that the modulation effects of cathodal tDCS on the left motor area led to a decrease in the tactile threshold of the left center of the distal pulp of the hallux. This effect was not observed in the sham condition. In addition, the subjects' vigilance levels were not changed between before and after the tDCS. These results suggest that sensation on the sole of the left foot could be modulated by cathodal tDCS on the left motor area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Yamamoto
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Healthcare, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, 4669-2 Ami, Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki, 300-0394, Japan.
| | - Daisuke Ishii
- Center for Medical Sciences, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, 4669-2 Ami, Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki, 300-0394, Japan; Department of Cognitive Behavioral Physiology, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chiba, Chiba, 260-8670, Japan
| | - Nao Ichiba
- Department of Physical Therapy, School of Healthcare, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, 4669-2 Ami, Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki, 300-0394, Japan
| | - Arito Yozu
- Center for Medical Sciences, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, 4669-2 Ami, Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki, 300-0394, Japan
| | - Yutaka Kohno
- Center for Medical Sciences, Ibaraki Prefectural University of Health Sciences, 4669-2 Ami, Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki, 300-0394, Japan
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42
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Kong F, Yang K, Sajjad S, Yan W, Li X, Zhao J. Neural correlates of social well-being: gray matter density in the orbitofrontal cortex predicts social well-being in emerging adulthood. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:319-327. [PMID: 30715518 PMCID: PMC6399614 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 01/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Social well-being reflects the perception of one’s social functioning, which plays an important role in physical and psychological health. However, the exact neuroanatomical substrate for social well-being remains unclear. To address the issue, we employed the voxel-based morphometry method to probe the neuroanatomical basis of individual variation in social well-being in young healthy adults (n = 136). The results revealed a significant negative association between social well-being and regional gray matter density (rGMD) in an anatomical cluster that mainly includes the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) that has been involved in emotion regulation and social cognition. Furthermore, a balanced 4-fold cross-validation using the machine learning approach revealed that rGMD in the left OFC could be reliably related to social well-being. More importantly, the multiple mediation analysis revealed that neuroticism and dispositional forgiveness independently mediated the association between rGMD in the left OFC and social well-being. In addition, all these results remained stable when subjective socioeconomic status was controlled. Together, our results provide the initial evidence that the OFC is a neuroanatomical substrate for social well-being and demonstrate that the OFC is a crucial neural site linking neuroticism and dispositional forgiveness to social well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Kong
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Kairong Yang
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Sonia Sajjad
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Wenjing Yan
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xuewen Li
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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43
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Garnett EO, Chow HM, Choo AL, Chang SE. Stuttering Severity Modulates Effects of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in Adults Who Stutter. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:411. [PMID: 31824276 PMCID: PMC6881273 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests as frequent disruptions in the flow of speech, affecting 1% of adults. Treatments are limited to behavioral interventions with variable success and high relapse rates, particularly in adults. However, even in severe cases, fluency can be temporarily induced during conditions in which the speaker synchronizes his speech with external rhythmic cues, such as when reading in unison (choral speech) or with a metronome. Non-invasive neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have shown promise in augmenting the effects of behavioral treatment during motor and speech/language rehabilitation, but only one study to date has examined behavioral modulatory effects of tDCS in the context of stuttering. Using high-definition (HD)-tDCS electrodes, which improves focality of stimulation relative to conventional tDCS, we investigated the effects of tDCS on speech fluency and brain activation in 14 adults who stutter (AWS). Either anodal or sham stimulation was delivered on separate days over left supplementary motor area (SMA). During stimulation, participants read aloud in sync with a metronome. Measures of speech fluency and brain activity functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were collected before and after stimulation. No significant differences in brain activity or speech fluency were found when comparing active and sham stimulation. However, stuttering severity significantly modulated the effect of stimulation: active stimulation attenuated the atypically strong association between stuttering severity and right thalamocortical network activity, especially in more severe speakers. These preliminary results warrant additional research into potential application of HD-tDCS to modulate speech motor networks to enhance fluency in stuttering.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ho Ming Chow
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.,Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, United States.,Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, United States
| | - Ai Leen Choo
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Soo-Eun Chang
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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Noninvasive Brain Stimulation Enhances Memory Acquisition and Is Associated with Synaptoneurosome Modification in the Rat Hippocampus. eNeuro 2019; 6:ENEURO.0311-19.2019. [PMID: 31699891 PMCID: PMC6900464 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0311-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation approach previously shown to enhance memory acquisition, but more studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Here, we examined the effects of anodal tDCS (0.25 mA for 30 min) on the memory performance of male Sprague Dawley rats in the passive avoidance test (PAT) and the associated modifications to the hippocampal proteomes. Results indicate anodal tDCS applied before the acquisition period significantly enhanced memory performance in the PAT. Following PAT, synaptoneurosomes were biochemically purified from the hippocampi of tDCS-treated or sham-treated rats and individual protein abundances were determined by bottom-up liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis. Proteomic analysis identified 184 differentially expressed hippocampal proteins when comparing the sham to the tDCS before memory acquisition treatment group. Ingenuity pathway analysis (IPA) showed anodal tDCS before memory acquisition significantly enhanced pathways associated with memory, cognition, learning, transmission, neuritogenesis, and long-term potentiation (LTP). IPA identified significant upstream regulators including bdnf, shank3, and gsk3b. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) and protein sequence similarity (PSS) networks show that glutamate receptor pathways, ion channel activity, memory, learning, cognition, and long-term memory were significantly associated with anodal tDCS. Centrality measures from both networks identified key proteins including dlg, shank, grin, and gria that were significantly modified by tDCS applied before the acquisition period. Together, our results provide descriptive molecular evidence that anodal tDCS enhances memory performance in the PAT by modifying hippocampal synaptic plasticity related proteins.
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45
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Vila-Nova C, Lucena PH, Lucena R, Armani-Franceschi G, Campbell FQ. Effect of Anodal tDCS on Articulatory Accuracy, Word Production, and Syllable Repetition in Subjects with Aphasia: A Crossover, Double-Blinded, Sham-Controlled Trial. Neurol Ther 2019; 8:411-424. [PMID: 31432434 PMCID: PMC6858895 DOI: 10.1007/s40120-019-00149-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) has been used to modulate and induce changes in brain function and excitability. tDCS is a promising tool for the treatment of aphasia. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether tDCS improves articulatory accuracy and speech production in patients with aphasia after stroke. METHODS AND RESULTS Twelve right-handed subjects participated in a double-blind, sham-controlled, crossover offline trial. We assessed (1) articulatory accuracy at a naming task, (2) number of words correctly produced, (3) number of syllables repeated correctly, and (4) qualitative assessment of speech. Articulatory accuracy improved when using tDCS over Broca's area in subjects with aphasia post-stroke (p ≤ 0.05). Qualitative improvement in the naming and syllable repetition tasks was observed, but the difference was not statistically significant (respectively, p = 0.15 and p = 0.79). CONCLUSION The current results corroborate the potential of tDCS to be used as an alternative and complementary treatment for individuals with aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila Vila-Nova
- União Metropolitana de Educação e Cultura-UNIME, Kroton and University of the State of Bahia, Avenida Luis Tarquínio Pontes, 600, Lauro de Freitas, BA, Brazil.
| | - Pedro H Lucena
- Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, Av. Dom João VI, 275, Brotas, Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Rita Lucena
- School of Medicine of Bahia, Federal University of Bahia, Av. Luis Viana Filho S/N, Canela, Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | | | - Fernanda Q Campbell
- The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA, USA
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46
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Cattaneo Z, Ferrari C, Schiavi S, Alekseichuk I, Antal A, Nadal M. Medial prefrontal cortex involvement in aesthetic appreciation of paintings: a tDCS study. Cogn Process 2019; 21:65-76. [DOI: 10.1007/s10339-019-00936-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Das N, Spence JS, Aslan S, Vanneste S, Mudar R, Rackley A, Quiceno M, Chapman SB. Cognitive Training and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Pilot Trial. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:307. [PMID: 31031581 PMCID: PMC6473050 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive stimulation, represents a potential intervention to enhance cognition across clinical populations including Alzheimer’s disease and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This randomized clinical trial in MCI investigated the effects of anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) delivered to left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) combined with gist-reasoning training (SMART) versus sham tDCS (s-tDCS) plus SMART on measures of cognitive and neural changes in resting cerebral blood flow (rCBF). We were also interested in SMART effects on cognitive performance regardless of the tDCS group. Methods Twenty-two MCI participants, who completed the baseline cognitive assessment (T1), were randomized into one of two groups: a-tDCS + SMART and s-tDCS + SMART. Of which, 20 participants completed resting pCASL MRI scan to measure rCBF. Eight SMART sessions were administered over 4 weeks with a-tDCS or s-tDCS stimulation for 20 min before each session. Participants were assessed immediately (T2) and 3-months after training (T3). Results Significant group × time interactions showed cognitive gains at T2 in executive function (EF) measure of inhibition [DKEFS- Color word (p = 0.047)], innovation [TOSL (p = 0.01)] and on episodic memory [TOSL (p = 0.048)] in s-tDCS + SMART but not in a-tDCS + SMART group. Nonetheless, the gains did not persist for 3 months (T3) after the training. A voxel-based analysis showed significant increase in regional rCBF in the right middle frontal cortex (MFC) (cluster-wise p = 0.05, k = 1,168 mm3) in a-tDCS + SMART compared to s-tDCS + SMART. No significant relationship was observed between the increased CBF with cognition. Irrespective of group, the combined MCI showed gains at T2 in EF of conceptual reasoning [DKEFS card sort (p = 0.033)] and category fluency [COWAT (p = 0.055)], along with gains at T3 in EF of verbal fluency [COWAT (p = 0.009)]. Conclusion One intriguing finding is a-tDCS to left IFG plus SMART increased blood flow to right MFC, however, the stimulation seemingly blocked cognitive benefits of SMART on EF (inhibition and innovation) and episodic memory compared to s-tDCS + SMART group. Although the sample size is small, this paper contributes to growing evidence that cognitive training provides a way to significantly enhance cognitive performance in adults showing memory loss, where the role of a-tDCS in augmenting these effects need further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namrata Das
- Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Jeffrey S Spence
- Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Sina Aslan
- Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States.,Advance MRI, LLC, Frisco, TX, United States
| | - Sven Vanneste
- Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Raksha Mudar
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Audette Rackley
- Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Mary Quiceno
- University of North Texas Health Science Center and Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics and TCU/UNTHSC, School of Medicine, Department of Medical Education, Fort Worth, TX, United States
| | - Sandra Bond Chapman
- Center for BrainHealth, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX, United States
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48
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Klaus J, Hartwigsen G. Dissociating semantic and phonological contributions of the left inferior frontal gyrus to language production. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:3279-3287. [PMID: 30969004 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
While the involvement of the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) in language production is undisputed, the role of specific subregions at different representational levels remains unclear. Some studies suggest a division of anterior and posterior regions for semantic and phonological processing, respectively. Crucially, evidence thus far only comes from correlative neuroimaging studies, but the functional relevance of the involvement of these subregions during a given task remains elusive. We applied repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over anterior and posterior IFG (aIFG/pIFG), and vertex as a control site, while participants performed a category member and a rhyme generation task. We found a functional-anatomical double dissociation between tasks and subregions. Naming latencies were significantly delayed in the semantic task when rTMS was applied to aIFG (relative to pIFG and vertex). In contrast, we observed a facilitation of naming latencies in the phonological task when rTMS was applied to pIFG (relative to aIFG and vertex). The results provide first causal evidence for the notion that anterior portions of the IFG are selectively recruited for semantic processing while posterior regions are functionally specific for phonological processing during word production. These findings shed light on the functional parcellation of the left IFG in language production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Klaus
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Research Group Modulation of Language Networks, Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Research Group Modulation of Language Networks, Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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49
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Wong MN, Chan Y, Ng ML, Zhu FF. Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation over the Broca's area on tongue twister production. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY 2019; 21:182-188. [PMID: 29642741 DOI: 10.1080/17549507.2017.1417480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 10/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The present study aimed to explore the short-term effect of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on tongue twister production. METHOD Thirty healthy native Cantonese adult speakers were randomly assigned to the anodal tDCS group or the sham tDCS group. Anodal tDCS of 2 mA was applied over the Broca's area of the brain. The stimulation lasted for 20 min for the anodal tDCS group and 30 s for the sham tDCS group. The participants were instructed to produce a list of tongue twisters before, immediately after and 4 h after tDCS. RESULT Speech rate and response accuracy measured immediately after stimulation were significantly faster and higher, respectively, than before stimulation. Although there was no change in speech rate measured at 4 h after stimulation, response accuracy at that time point was significantly lower than that measured immediately after stimulation. However, there were no significant differences between the anodal tDCS and sham tDCS groups in either speech rate or response accuracy. CONCLUSION The findings revealed that a single session of anodal tDCS over the Broca's area did not significantly improve speech production during tongue twister production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Ney Wong
- a Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies , The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hung Hom, Kowloon , Hong Kong
- b Speech Science Laboratory, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education , The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , Hong Kong
- c Centre for Communication Disorders , The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , Hong Kong
| | - Yanky Chan
- b Speech Science Laboratory, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education , The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , Hong Kong
- c Centre for Communication Disorders , The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , Hong Kong
| | - Manwa L Ng
- b Speech Science Laboratory, Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Faculty of Education , The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , Hong Kong
- c Centre for Communication Disorders , The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , Hong Kong
| | - Frank F Zhu
- d Faculty of Education , The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , Hong Kong
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Ghanavati E, Salehinejad MA, Nejati V, Nitsche MA. Differential role of prefrontal, temporal and parietal cortices in verbal and figural fluency: Implications for the supramodal contribution of executive functions. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3700. [PMID: 30842493 PMCID: PMC6403289 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40273-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Verbal and figural fluency are related to executive functions (EFs), but the extent to which they benefit from executive resources and their respective cortical representations is not clear. Moreover, different brain areas and cognitive functions are involved in fluency processing. This study investigated effects of modulation of cortical excitability in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (l-DLPFC), left temporal area and right posterior parietal cortex (r-PPC) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), on verbal and figural fluency. Fifteen healthy adult participants received anodal l-DLPFC (F3), anodal left temporal (T3), anodal r-PPC (P4) and sham tDCS (15 min, 1.5 mA). After five minutes of stimulation, participants underwent the verbal fluency (i.e., semantic and phonemic fluency tasks) and figural fluency tasks. Participants significantly generated more words with phonemic cues during anodal l-DLPFC tDCS and more words with semantic cues during both anodal left temporal and anodal l-DLPFC tDCS. In contrast, they generated more unique figures under anodal r-PPC and anodal l-DLPFC tDCS. Our results implicate that prefrontal regions and EFs are shared anatomical correlates and cognitive processes relevant for both, verbal and figural fluency (supramodal contribution of DLPFC activation), whereas r-PPC and left temporal cortex are more specifically involved in figural and semantic fluency (modality-specific contribution).
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Affiliation(s)
- Elham Ghanavati
- Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Science & Research Branch, Tehran, Iran.,Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Mohammad Ali Salehinejad
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany. .,Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. .,International Graduate School of Neuroscience, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Vahid Nejati
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. .,Department of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Michael A Nitsche
- Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany.,Department of Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany
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