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Schlatter S, Guillot A, Schmidt L, Mura M, Trama R, Di Rienzo F, Lilot M, Debarnot U. Combining proactive transcranial stimulation and cardiac biofeedback to substantially manage harmful stress effects. Brain Stimul 2021; 14:1384-1392. [PMID: 34438047 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2021.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous studies have identified the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) as a core region in cognitive emotional regulation. Transcranial direct current stimulations of the dlPFC (tDCS) and heart-rate variability biofeedback (BFB) are known to regulate emotional processes. However, the effect of these interventions applied either alone or concomitantly during an anticipatory stress remains unexplored. OBJECTIVE The study investigated the effect of anodal tDCS and BFB, alone or combined, on psychophysiological stress responses and cognitive functioning. METHODS Following a stress anticipation induction, 80 participants were randomized into four groups and subjected to a 15-min intervention: neutral video viewing (ctrl), left dlPFC anodal tDCS (tdcs), heart-rate variability biofeedback (bfb), or a combined treatment (bfb + tdcs). Participants were then immediately confronted with the stressor, which was followed by an assessment of executive functions. Psychophysiological stress responses were assessed throughout the experiment (heart rate, heart-rate variability, salivary cortisol). RESULTS The tdcs did not modulate stress responses. Compared with both ctrl and tdcs interventions, bfb reduced physiological stress and improved executive functions after the stressor. The main finding revealed that bfb + tdcs was the most effective intervention, yielding greater reduction in psychological and physiological stress responses than bfb. CONCLUSIONS Combining preventive tDCS with BFB is a relevant interventional approach to reduce psychophysiological stress responses, hence offering a new and non-invasive treatment of stress-related disorders. Biofeedback may be particularly useful for preparing for an important stressful event when performance is decisive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Schlatter
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France; Centre Lyonnais d'Enseignement par Simulation en Santé (CLESS, high fidelity medical simulation centre), SAMSEI, Lyon, France.
| | - Aymeric Guillot
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Laura Schmidt
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Research on Healthcare Performance (RESHAPE), INSERM U1290, Lyon, France; Centre Lyonnais d'Enseignement par Simulation en Santé (CLESS, high fidelity medical simulation centre), SAMSEI, Lyon, France.
| | - Mathilde Mura
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Robin Trama
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Franck Di Rienzo
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Marc Lilot
- Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Research on Healthcare Performance (RESHAPE), INSERM U1290, Lyon, France; Hospices Civils de Lyon, Departments of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France; Centre Lyonnais d'Enseignement par Simulation en Santé (CLESS, high fidelity medical simulation centre), SAMSEI, Lyon, France.
| | - Ursula Debarnot
- Inter-University Laboratory of Human Movement Biology-EA 7424, University of Lyon, University Claude Bernard Lyon 1, 69 622, Villeurbanne, France; Institut Universitaire de France, France.
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