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Wang Z, Zhao Y, You X, Liang J. Relationship Between the Parietal Cortex and Task Switching: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Combined with an Event-related Potential Study. Neuroscience 2024; 546:41-52. [PMID: 38548166 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2024.03.004] [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: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Task switching refers to a set of cognitive processes involved in shifting attention from one task to another. In recent years, researchers have applied transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to investigate the causal relationship between the parietal cortex and task switching. However, results from available studies are highly inconsistent. This may be due to the unclear understanding of the underlying mechanisms. Therefore, the current study utilized event-related potential (ERP) analysis to investigate the modulatory effects of tDCS on task-switching processes. Twenty-four subjects were recruited to perform both predictable and unpredictable parity/magnitude tasks under anodal (RA) and sham conditions. The results showed no significant changes in behavioral performance. However, marked tDCS-induced ERP changes were observed. Specifically, for the predictable task switching, compared with the sham condition, the target-N2 component occurred significantly earlier for switch trials than repeat trials under the RA condition in males, while no difference was found in females. For unpredictable task switching, under the sham condition, the P2 peak was significantly larger for switch trials compared with repeat trials, whereas this difference was not observed under the RA condition. These results indicated the causal relationship between the right parietal cortex and exogenous adjustment processes involved in task switching. Moreover, anodal tDCS over the right parietal cortex may lead to the manifestation of gender differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyu Wang
- School of Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China; School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
| | - Yi Zhao
- School of Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China
| | - Xuqun You
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Jimin Liang
- School of Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China.
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2
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Narmashiri A, Akbari F. The Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on the Cognitive Functions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Neuropsychol Rev 2023:10.1007/s11065-023-09627-x. [PMID: 38060075 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-023-09627-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have investigated the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive functions. However, these studies reported inconsistent results due to differences in experiment design, measurements, and stimulation parameters. Nonetheless, there is a lack of meta-analyses and review studies on tDCS and its impact on cognitive functions, including working memory, inhibition, flexibility, and theory of mind. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of tDCS studies published from the earliest available data up to October 2021, including studies reporting the effects of tDCS on cognitive functions in human populations. Therefore, these systematic review and meta-analysis aim to comprehensively analyze the effects of anodal and cathodal tDCS on cognitive functions by investigating 69 articles with a total of 5545 participants. Our study reveals significant anodal tDCS effects on various cognitive functions. Specifically, we observed improvements in working memory reaction time (RT), inhibition RT, flexibility RT, theory of mind RT, working memory accuracy, theory of mind accuracy and flexibility accuracy. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate noteworthy cathodal tDCS effects, enhancing working memory accuracy, inhibition accuracy, flexibility RT, flexibility accuracy, theory of mind RT, and theory of mind accuracy. Notably, regarding the influence of stimulation parameters of tDCS on cognitive functions, the results indicated significant differences across various aspects, including the timing of stimulation (online vs. offline studies), population type (clinical vs. healthy studies), stimulation duration (< 15 min vs. > 15 min), electrical current intensities (1-1.5 m.A vs. > 1.5 m.A), stimulation sites (right frontal vs. left frontal studies), age groups (young vs. older studies), and different cognitive tasks in each cognitive functioning aspect. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that tDCS can effectively enhance cognitive task performance, offering valuable insights into the potential benefits of this method for cognitive improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdolvahed Narmashiri
- School of Cognitive Sciences, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), Tehran, Iran.
- Electrical Engineering Department, Bio-Intelligence Research Unit, Sharif Brain Center, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
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3
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Wang Z, Kong Z, Li C, Liang J, You X. Effects of anodal tDCS stimulation in predictable and unpredictable task switching performance: The possible involvement of the parietal cortex. Neuroscience 2022; 494:132-139. [PMID: 35595031 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.05.013] [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: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used to explore the causal relationship between specific brain regions and task switching. However, most studies have focused on the frontal cortex, and only few have examined other related cortices, e.g., the parietal cortex. However, no prior study has systematically explored the tDCS-induced effect of the parietal cortex in different task switching types. Therefore, the current study mainly used the unilateral anodal-tDCS (a-tDCS) stimulation setting to investigate the possible involvement of the parietal cortex in predictable and unpredictable task switching. It was noted that compared with sham group, significantly higher switch cost reaction time of right anode tDCS (RA) group was found in predictable task but not unpredictable task. No interaction effect was observed between congruence and tDCS groups in predictable task. These findings suggested that a-tDCS over right parietal cortex could markedly decrease the predictable task-switching performance in both congruent and incongruent trials, and indicated that parietal cortex is more likely to be involved in the proactive cognitive processes, such as endogenous preparation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyu Wang
- School of Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China; Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Ziye Kong
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Chenlin Li
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Jimin Liang
- School of Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China
| | - Xuqun You
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
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Prehn K, Skoglund A, Strobach T. Enhancement of task-switching performance with transcranial direct current stimulation over the right lateral prefrontal cortex. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:3447-3456. [PMID: 34510254 PMCID: PMC8599339 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06212-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Switching between two or more tasks is a key component in our modern world. Task switching, however, requires time-consuming executive control processes and thus produces performance costs when compared to task repetitions. While executive control during task switching has been associated with activation in the lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC), only few studies so far have investigated the causal relation between lPFC activation and task-switching performance by modulating lPFC activation. In these studies, the results of lPFC modulation were not conclusive or limited to the left lPFC. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of non-invasive transcranial direct current stimulation [tDCS; anodal tDCS (1 mA, 20 min) vs. cathodal tDCS (1 mA, 20 min) vs. sham tDCS (1 mA, 30 s)] over the right inferior frontal junction on task-switching performance in a well-established task-switching paradigm. In response times, we found a significant effect of tDCS Condition (atDCS, ctDCS vs. sham) on task-switching costs, indicating the modulation of task-switching performance by tDCS. In addition, we found a task-unspecific tDCS Condition effect in the first experimental session, in which participants were least familiar with the task, indicating a general enhancement of task performance in both task repetitions and task-switching trials. Taken together, our study provides evidence that the right lPFC is involved in task switching as well as in general task processing. Further studies are needed to investigate whether these findings can be translated into clinically relevant improvement in older subjects or populations with executive function impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin Prehn
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg - University of Applied Sciences and Medical University, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Anja Skoglund
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg - University of Applied Sciences and Medical University, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tilo Strobach
- Department of Psychology, MSH Medical School Hamburg - University of Applied Sciences and Medical University, Am Kaiserkai 1, 20457, Hamburg, Germany.
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5
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Wang Z, Zhu R, You X. Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation-Induced Effects Over the Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex: Differences in the Task Types of Task Switching. Front Psychol 2021; 12:630239. [PMID: 33815217 PMCID: PMC8015871 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.630239] [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: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been previously used to investigate the causal relationships between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and task switching but has delivered inconclusive results that may be due to different switching tasks involving different cognitive control processes. In the current study, we manipulated task types and task predictability to investigate the role of DLPFC in task-switching performances. Notably, we distinguished the specific effects of anodal-tDCS on two types of tasks (parity/magnitude and parity/vowel-consonant tasks). Forty-eight participants were randomly assigned to four task groups as follows; Group I who was assigned right anode (RA) parity/magnitude tasks, Group II who were assigned sham parity/magnitude tasks, Group III who were assigned RA parity/vowel-consonant tasks, and Group IV who were assigned sham parity/vowel-consonant tasks. Participants were asked to complete both predictable and unpredictable tasks. In the parity/magnitude task, we demonstrated a lower switch cost for the RA group compared to the sham group for unpredictable tasks. In contrast, in the parity/vowel-consonant task, the switch cost was higher for the RA group compared to the sham group for unpredictable and predictable tasks. These findings confirmed an anodal-tDCS-induced effect over the right DLPFC both in the parity/magnitude and parity/vowel-consonant tasks. Our data indicated that anodal tDCS may have a stronger influence on task-switching performance over the right DLPFC by changing the irrelevant task-set inhibition process. Also, the right DLPFC is unlikely to act by performing exogenous adjustment of predictable task switching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyu Wang
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Rongjuan Zhu
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
| | - Xuqun You
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China
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The effect of non-invasive brain stimulation on executive functioning in healthy controls: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 125:122-147. [PMID: 33503477 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, there has been a heightened interest in the effect of non-invasive brain stimulation on executive functioning. However, there is no comprehensive overview of its effects on different executive functioning domains in healthy individuals. Here, we assessed the state of the field by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of non-invasive brain stimulation (i.e. repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation) over prefrontal regions on tasks assessing working memory, inhibition, flexibility, planning and initiation performance. Our search yielded 63 studies (n = 1537), and the effectiveness of excitatory and inhibitory non-invasive brain stimulation were assessed per executive functioning task. Our analyses showed that excitatory non-invasive brain stimulation had a small but positive effect on Stop Signal Task and Go/No-Go Task performance, and that inhibitory stimulation had a small negative effect on Flanker Task performance. Non-invasive brain stimulation did not affect performance on working memory and flexibility tasks, and effects on planning tasks were inconclusive.
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Ehrhardt SE, Filmer HL, Wards Y, Mattingley JB, Dux PE. The influence of tDCS intensity on decision-making training and transfer outcomes. J Neurophysiol 2020; 125:385-397. [PMID: 33174483 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00423.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been shown to improve single- and dual-task performance in healthy participants and enhance transferable training gains following multiple sessions of combined stimulation and task practice. However, it has yet to be determined what the optimal stimulation dose is for facilitating such outcomes. We aimed to test the effects of different tDCS intensities, with a commonly used electrode montage, on performance outcomes in a multisession single/dual-task training and transfer protocol. In a preregistered study, 123 participants, who were pseudorandomized across four groups, each completed six sessions (pre- and posttraining sessions and four combined tDCS and training sessions) and received 20 min of prefrontal anodal tDCS at 0.7, 1.0, or 2.0 mA or 15-s sham stimulation. Response time and accuracy were assessed in trained and untrained tasks. The 1.0-mA group showed substantial improvements in single-task reaction time and dual-task accuracy, with additional evidence for improvements in dual-task reaction times, relative to sham performance. This group also showed near transfer to the single-task component of an untrained multitasking paradigm. The 0.7- and 2.0-mA intensities varied in which performance measures they improved on the trained task, but in sum, the effects were less robust than for the 1.0-mA group, and there was no evidence for the transfer of performance. Our study highlights that training performance gains are augmented by tDCS, but their magnitude and nature are not uniform across stimulation intensity.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Using techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation to modulate cognitive performance is an alluring endeavor. However, the optimal parameters to augment performance are unknown. Here, in a preregistered study with a large sample (123 subjects), three different stimulation dosages (0.7, 1.0, and 2.0 mA) were applied during multitasking training. Different cognitive training performance outcomes occurred across the dosage conditions, with only one of the doses (1.0 mA) leading to training transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane E Ehrhardt
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
| | - Hannah L Filmer
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
| | - Yohan Wards
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
| | - Jason B Mattingley
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia.,Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia.,Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul E Dux
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
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8
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Wang Z, Zhu R, Rehman AU, You X. Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex and Task-Switching Performance: Effects of Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. Neuroscience 2020; 446:94-101. [PMID: 32858145 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Task switching refers to the process by which an individual transfers focus from one cognitive task to another. In recent years, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) technology had been used to investigate the causal relationship between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and task-switching performance. However, the effects of anodal-tDCS (a-tDCS) on task switching remain unclear, and the relationship between DLPFC and various task predictabilities have not yet been studied. Therefore, this study mainly investigated the effects of left anode tDCS (LA) and right anode tDCS (RA) in predictable and unpredictable task-switching performance. Thirty-six participants were randomly assigned to three tDCS groups (including LA, RA, and sham) and were asked to complete both the predictable and unpredictable tasks. Compared with LA and sham tDCS, increasing the activity of the right DLPFC improved task-switching performance (switch cost) of unpredictable but not predictable tasks. The results suggested there is a causal association between DLPFC and unpredictable task switching and implied a task-specific effect in task switching. We concluded that the DLPFC is not essential for exogenous adjustment in predictable task switching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyu Wang
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Rongjuan Zhu
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Abaid Ur Rehman
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Xuqun You
- Key Laboratory for Behavior and Cognitive Neuroscience of Shaanxi Province, School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China.
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9
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Ward N, Hussey EK, Cunningham EC, Paul EJ, McWilliams T, Kramer AF. Building the multitasking brain: An integrated perspective on functional brain activation during task-switching and dual-tasking. Neuropsychologia 2019; 132:107149. [PMID: 31348930 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2019] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/20/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Multitasking behavior is associated with well-known performance costs, but the question of why individuals falter when attempting to manage multiple streams of information remains difficult to answer. One reason for this difficulty may be that multitasking costs are often characterized by isolating component processes that are studied largely independently. In this study, we instead integrate two commonly studied substrates of multitasking, task-switching and dual-tasking, within the same procedural context. This method allows not only a direct comparison of performance costs associated with different demand types but also examination of their interaction. We measured functional brain activation in thirty healthy young adults as they completed a block-design version of the task, observing consistent and separable patterns of frontoparietal activation as a function of demand type. Broadly, task-switching was associated with activation of left premotor and inferior parietal regions, and dual-tasking was associated with activation in regions of right prefrontal and inferior parietal cortex. In the interaction condition, we observed a distributed bilateral pattern of activation across the areas associated with each demand in isolation. These results provide both behavioral and neuroimaging evidence that task-switching and dual-tasking demands can be dissociated and contribute to multitasking costs in unique and separable ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Ward
- Tufts University, 490 Boston Ave, Medford, MA, 02155, USA.
| | - Erika K Hussey
- U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command - Soldier Center, 1 General Greene, Natick, MA, 01760, USA
| | - Emily C Cunningham
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Beckman Institute, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Erick J Paul
- Microsoft Corporation, 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA, 98052, USA
| | | | - Arthur F Kramer
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Beckman Institute, 405 N. Mathews Ave, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA; Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
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10
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Zimmermann M, Kubik V, Persson J, Mäntylä T. Monitoring Multiple Deadlines Relies on Spatial Processing in Posterior Parietal Cortex. J Cogn Neurosci 2019; 31:1468-1483. [PMID: 31210563 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Proactively coordinating one's actions is an important aspect of multitasking performance due to overlapping task sequences. In this study, we used fMRI to investigate neural mechanisms underlying monitoring of multiple overlapping task sequences. We tested the hypothesis that temporal control demands in multiple-task monitoring are offloaded onto spatial processes by representing patterns of temporal deadlines in spatial terms. Results showed that increased demands on time monitoring (i.e., responding to concurrent deadlines of one to four component tasks) increasingly activated regions in the left inferior parietal lobe and the precuneus. Moreover, independent measures of spatial abilities correlated with multiple-task performance beyond the contribution of working memory. Together, these findings suggest that monitoring and coordination of temporally overlapping task timelines rely on cortical processes involved in spatial information processing. We suggest that the precuneus is involved in tracking of multiple task timelines, whereas the inferior parietal lobe constructs spatial representations of the temporal relations of these overlapping timelines. These findings are consistent with the spatial offloading hypothesis and add new insights into the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the coordination of multiple tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Veit Kubik
- Stockholm University.,Humboldt University zu Berlin.,Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg
| | - Jonas Persson
- Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institute & Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Örebro University
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11
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Steinberg F, Pixa NH, Fregni F. A Review of Acute Aerobic Exercise and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Effects on Cognitive Functions and Their Potential Synergies. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 12:534. [PMID: 30687048 PMCID: PMC6336823 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Today, several pharmaceutic and non-pharmaceutic approaches exist to treat psychiatric and neurological diseases. Because of the lack of treatment procedures that are medication free and without severe side effects, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and aerobic exercise (AE) have been tested to explore the potential for initiating and modulating neuroplasticity in the human brain. Both tDCS and AE could support cognition and behavior in the clinical and non-clinical context to improve the recovery process within neurological or psychiatric conditions or to increase performance. As these techniques still lack meaningful effects, although they provide multiple beneficial opportunities within disease and health applications, there is emerging interest to find improved tDCS and AE protocols. Since multimodal approaches could provoke synergetic effects, a few recent studies have begun to combine tDCS and AE within different settings such as in cognitive training in health or for treatment purposes within clinical settings, all of which show superior effects compared to single technique applications. The beneficial outcomes of both techniques depend on several parameters and the understanding of neural mechanisms that are not yet fully understood. Recent studies have begun to directly combine tDCS and AE within one session, although their interactions on the behavioral, neurophysiological and neurochemical levels are entirely unclear. Therefore, this review: (a) provides an overview of acute behavioral, neurophysiological, and neurochemical effects that both techniques provoke within only one single application in isolation; (b) gives an overview regarding the mechanistic pathways; and (c) discusses potential interactions and synergies between tDCS and AE that might be provoked when directly combining both techniques. From this literature review focusing primarily on the cognitive domain in term of specific executive functions (EFs; inhibition, updating, and switching), it is concluded that a direct combination of tDCS and AE provides multiple beneficial opportunities for synergistic effects. A combination could be useful within non-clinical settings in health and for treating several psychiatric and neurologic conditions. However, there is a lack of research and there are several possibly interacting moderating parameters that must be considered and more importantly must be systematically investigated in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Steinberg
- Institute of Sport Science, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Nils Henrik Pixa
- Sport Psychology, Institute of Human Movement Science and Health, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Chemnitz University of Technology, Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Felipe Fregni
- Spaulding Neuromodulation Center, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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12
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Modulation of dual-task control with right prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Exp Brain Res 2017; 236:227-241. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-017-5121-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Accepted: 11/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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13
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Iannone A, Brasil-Neto J, Cruz APM, Satler C, Allam N. Therapeutic effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on neuropsychological symptoms of an elderly patient: A case report. Dement Neuropsychol 2017; 11:304-307. [PMID: 29213529 PMCID: PMC5674676 DOI: 10.1590/1980-57642016dn11-030014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Although growing evidence points to the potential therapeutic effects of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS), there is still no consensus on the most appropriate protocol to be used in specific neurological and neuropsychological symptoms. This case report evaluated the neuromodulatory therapeutic effects of two 15-day courses of tDCS on an elderly female patient, aged 78 years with mild neurocognitive disorder, chronic pain and depression-related symptoms. Results indicated an overall significant improvement of cognitive and executive functions, as well as reduction in both depression and chronic pain symptoms. These results highlight the potential of tDCS as a safe and useful neuromodulatory clinical tool in the rehabilitation of elderly patients.
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Strobach T, Antonenko D. tDCS-Induced Effects on Executive Functioning and Their Cognitive Mechanisms: a Review. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s41465-016-0004-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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