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Chen R, Huang L, Wang R, Fei J, Wang H, Wang J. The effect of transcranial electrical stimulation on the relief of mental fatigue. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1359446. [PMID: 38957184 PMCID: PMC11218543 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1359446] [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: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective The presence of mental fatigue seriously affects daily life and working conditions. Non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation has become an increasingly popular tool for relieving mental fatigue. We investigated whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) could be used to alleviate the state of mental fatigue in a population of healthy young adults and compared their effects. Methods We recruited 10 participants for a blank control, repeated measures study. Each participant received 15 min of anodal tDCS, α-tACS, and blank stimulation. Participants were required to fill in the scale, perform the test task and collect ECG signals in the baseline, fatigue and post-stimulus states. We then assessed participants' subjective fatigue scale scores, test task accuracy and HRV characteristics of ECG signals separately. Results We found that both anodal tDCS and α-tACS significantly (P < 0.05) reduced subjective fatigue and improved accuracy on the test task compared to the blank group, and the extent of change was greater with tACS. For the HRV features extracted from ECG signals. After tACS intervention, SDNN (t = -3.241, P = 0.002), LF (t = -3.511, P = 0.001), LFn (t = -3.122, P = 0.002), LFn/HFn (-2.928, P = 0.005), TP (t = -2.706, P = 0.008), VLF (t = -3.002, P = 0.004), SD2 (t = -3.594, P = 0.001) and VLI (t = -3.564, P = 0.001) showed a significant increasing trend, and HFn (t = 3.122, P = 0.002), SD1/SD2 (t = 3.158, P = 0.002) and CCM_1 (t = 3.106, P = 0.003) showed a significant decreasing trend. After tDCS intervention, only one feature, TINN, showed a significant upward trend (P < 0.05). The other features showed non-significant changes but roughly the same trend as the tACS group. Conclusion Both tDCS and α-tACS can be effective in relieving mental fatigue, and α-tACS is more effective than tDCS. This study provides theoretical support for tDCS with α-tACS having a alleviating effect on mental fatigue and the use of ECG as a valid objective assessment tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruijuan Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Lengjie Huang
- School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Rui Wang
- School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jieying Fei
- School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Huiquan Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Jinhai Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
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Latrèche C, Mancini V, Rochas V, Maeder J, Cantonas LM, Férat V, Schneider M, Michel CM, Eliez S. Using transcranial alternating current stimulation to enhance working memory skills in youths with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: A randomized double-blind sham-controlled study. Psychiatry Res 2024; 335:115835. [PMID: 38460352 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115835] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
Abnormal cognitive development, particularly working memory (WM) deficits, is among the first apparent manifestations of psychosis. Yet, cognitive impairment only shows limited response to current pharmacological treatment. Alternative interventions to target cognition are highly needed in individuals at high risk for psychosis, like carriers of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS). Here we applied theta-tuned transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) between frontal and temporal regions during a visual WM task in 34 deletion carriers. We conducted a double-blind sham-controlled study over three consecutive days. The stimulation parameters were derived from individual structural MRI scan and HD-EEG data acquired at baseline (Day 1) to model current intensity and individual preferential theta peak. Participants were randomized to either sham or tACS (Days 2 and 3) and then completed a visual WM task and a control task. Our findings reveal that tACS was safe and well-tolerated among participants. We found a significantly increased accuracy in the visual WM but not the control task following tACS. Moreover, this enhancement in WM accuracy was greater after tACS than during tACS, indicating stronger offline effects than online effects. Our study therefore supports the application of repeated sessions of brain stimulation in 22q11.2DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caren Latrèche
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Switzerland.
| | - Valentina Mancini
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Switzerland
| | - Vincent Rochas
- Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland; Human Neuroscience Platform, Fondation Campus Biotech Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Johanna Maeder
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Switzerland
| | - Lucia M Cantonas
- Autism Brain and Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Victor Férat
- Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maude Schneider
- Clinical Psychology Unit for Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christoph M Michel
- Functional Brain Mapping Laboratory, Department of Basic Neurosciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Eliez
- Developmental Imaging and Psychopathology Lab, Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Switzerland; Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva School of Medicine, Switzerland
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Palmero LB, Tortajada M, Martínez-Pérez V, Sandoval-Lentisco A, Campoy G, Fuentes LJ. Circadian modulation of the time course of automatic and controlled semantic processing. Chronobiol Int 2024; 41:378-392. [PMID: 38317372 DOI: 10.1080/07420528.2024.2312806] [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: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
We investigated whether chronotype and time-of-day modulate the time course of automatic and controlled semantic processing. Participants performed a category semantic priming task at either the optimal or non-optimal time of day. We varied the prime-target onset asynchrony (100-, 450-, 650-, and 850-ms SOAs) and kept the percentage of unrelated targets constant at 80%. Automatic processing was expected with the short SOA, and controlled processing with longer SOAs. Intermediate-types (Experiment 1) verified that our task was sensitive to capturing both types of processes and served as a reference to assess themin extreme chronotypes. Morning-type and evening-type participants (Experiment 2) differed in the influence of time of testing on priming effects. Morning-types applied control in all conditions, and no performance modulation by time-of-day was observed. In contrast, evening-types were most adversely affected by the time of day to shift from automatic-based to controlled-based responses. Also, they were considerably affected in successfully implementing controlled processing with long intervals, particularly at the non-optimal time of day, with inhibitory priming showing only a marginally significant effect at the longest SOA. These results suggest that extreme chronotypes may be associated with different styles of cognitive control. Morning-types would be driven by a proactive control style, whereas a reactive control style might be applied by evening-types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía B Palmero
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Miriam Tortajada
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Víctor Martínez-Pérez
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Guillermo Campoy
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Luis J Fuentes
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
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Palmero LB, Martínez-Pérez V, Tortajada M, Campoy G, Fuentes LJ. Testing the modulation of self-related automatic and others-related controlled processing by chronotype and time-of-day. Conscious Cogn 2024; 118:103633. [PMID: 38199190 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2023.103633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 12/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/31/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
We assessed whether self-related automatic and others-related controlled processes are modulated by chronotype and time-of-day. Here, a shape-label matching task composed of three geometrical shapes arbitrarily associated with you, friend, and stranger was used. Twenty Morning-types, and twenty Evening-types performed the task at the optimal and non-optimal times of day (i.e., 8 AM, or 8:30 PM). Morning-types did not exhibit noticeable synchrony effects, thus proving the better adaptation of these participants to non-optimal moments of the day as compared to Evening-types. Contrary to our predictions regarding the absence of automatic-processing modulation and the presence of controlled-processing influences by time-of-day, we found an influence on self-related but not others-related processing only in Evening-type participants. Although brain structures are not directly tackled, we argue that such modulation may be due to the dependence of the activation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), an essential component of the self-attention network on circadian rhythms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía B Palmero
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Víctor Martínez-Pérez
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Miriam Tortajada
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Guillermo Campoy
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Luis J Fuentes
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología y Logopedia, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
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Löffler BS, Stecher HI, Meiser A, Fudickar S, Hein A, Herrmann CS. Attempting to counteract vigilance decrement in older adults with brain stimulation. FRONTIERS IN NEUROERGONOMICS 2023; 4:1201702. [PMID: 38234473 PMCID: PMC10790873 DOI: 10.3389/fnrgo.2023.1201702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Introduction Against the background of demographic change and the need for enhancement techniques for an aging society, we set out to repeat a study that utilized 40-Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to counteract the slowdown of reaction times in a vigilance experiment but with participants aged 65 years and older. On an oscillatory level, vigilance decrement is linked to rising occipital alpha power, which has been shown to be downregulated using gamma-tACS. Method We applied tACS on the visual cortex and compared reaction times, error rates, and alpha power of a group stimulated with 40 Hz to a sham and a 5-Hz-stimulated control group. All groups executed two 30-min-long blocks of a visual task and were stimulated according to group in the second block. We hypothesized that the expected increase in reaction times and alpha power would be reduced in the 40-Hz group compared to the control groups in the second block (INTERVENTION). Results Statistical analysis with linear mixed models showed that reaction times increased significantly over time in the first block (BASELINE) with approximately 3 ms/min for the SHAM and 2 ms/min for the 5-Hz and 40-Hz groups, with no difference between the groups. The increase was less pronounced in the INTERVENTION block (1 ms/min for SHAM and 5-Hz groups, 3 ms/min for the 40-Hz group). Differences among groups in the INTERVENTION block were not significant if the 5-Hz or the 40-Hz group was used as the base group for the linear mixed model. Statistical analysis with a generalized linear mixed model showed that alpha power was significantly higher after the experiment (1.37 μV2) compared to before (1 μV2). No influence of stimulation (40 Hz, 5 Hz, or sham) could be detected. Discussion Although the literature has shown that tACS offers potential for older adults, our results indicate that findings from general studies cannot simply be transferred to an old-aged group. We suggest adjusting stimulation parameters to the neurophysiological features expected in this group. Next to heterogeneity and cognitive fitness, the influence of motivation and medication should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birte S. Löffler
- Assistance Systems and Medical Device Technology, Department of Health Services Research, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Heiko I. Stecher
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, European Medical School, Cluster of Excellence “Hearing4all”, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Arnd Meiser
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, European Medical School, Cluster of Excellence “Hearing4all”, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Fudickar
- Assistance Systems and Medical Device Technology, Department of Health Services Research, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Hein
- Assistance Systems and Medical Device Technology, Department of Health Services Research, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Christoph S. Herrmann
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, European Medical School, Cluster of Excellence “Hearing4all”, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
- Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
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Wang K, Qiu S, Wei W, Yi W, He H, Xu M, Jung TP, Ming D. Investigating EEG-based cross-session and cross-task vigilance estimation in BCI systems. J Neural Eng 2023; 20:056001. [PMID: 37611567 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/acf345] [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: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Objective. The state of vigilance is crucial for effective performance in brain-computer interface (BCI) tasks, and therefore, it is essential to investigate vigilance levels in BCI tasks. Despite this, most studies have focused on vigilance levels in driving tasks rather than on BCI tasks, and the electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns of vigilance states in different BCI tasks remain unclear. This study aimed to identify similarities and differences in EEG patterns and performances of vigilance estimation in different BCI tasks and sessions.Approach.To achieve this, we built a steady-state visual evoked potential-based BCI system and a rapid serial visual presentation-based BCI system and recruited 18 participants to carry out four BCI experimental sessions over four days.Main results. Our findings demonstrate that specific neural patterns for high and low vigilance levels are relatively stable across sessions. Differential entropy features significantly differ between different vigilance levels in all frequency bands and between BCI tasks in the delta and theta frequency bands, with the theta frequency band features playing a critical role in vigilance estimation. Additionally, prefrontal, temporal, and occipital regions are more relevant to the vigilance state in BCI tasks. Our results suggest that cross-session vigilance estimation is more accurate than cross-task estimation.Significance.Our study clarifies the underlying mechanisms of vigilance state in two BCI tasks and provides a foundation for further research in vigilance estimation in BCI applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kangning Wang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, State Key Laboratory of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Systems, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuang Qiu
- Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, State Key Laboratory of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Systems, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Wei
- Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, State Key Laboratory of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Systems, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Weibo Yi
- Beijing Machine and Equipment Institute, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Huiguang He
- Laboratory of Brain Atlas and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, State Key Laboratory of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Systems, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Minpeng Xu
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
| | - Tzyy-Ping Jung
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, CA, United States of America
| | - Dong Ming
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
- College of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China
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Nejati V, Zamiran B, Nitsche MA. The Interaction of the Dorsolateral and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex During Mind Wandering. Brain Topogr 2023:10.1007/s10548-023-00970-z. [PMID: 37202646 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-00970-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Mind wandering refers to spontaneously occurring, often disruptive thoughts during an ongoing task or resting state. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) are two main cortical areas which are involved in this process. This study aimed to explore the interaction of these areas during mind wandering by enhancing specific oscillatory activity of these areas via transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) in the theta frequency range. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eighteen healthy adults participated in a randomized, single-blinded, crossover study. tACS (1.5 mA, 6 Hz) was applied in five sessions with one week interval via (1) two channels with synchronized stimulation over the left dlPFC and right vmPFC, (2) the same electrode placement with anti-phase stimulation, (3) stimulation over the left dlPFC only, (4) stimulation over right vmPFC only, and (5) sham stimulation. The return electrodes were placed over the contralateral shoulder in all conditions. The sustained attention to response task (SART) with embedded probes about task-unrelated-thoughts and awareness of these thoughts was performed during intervention. RESULTS Stimulation did not alter SART performance. Right vmPFC stimulation decreased mind wandering and increased awareness of mind wandering. Left dlPFC stimulation and desynchronized stimulation over the dlPFC and vmPFC increased mind wandering compared to the sham stimulation condition. Synchronized stimulation had no effect on mind wandering, but increased awareness of mind wandering. CONCLUSION The results suggest that regional entrainment of the vmPFC decreases mind wandering and increases awareness of mind wandering, whereas regional entrainment of the dlPFC increases mind wandering, but decreases awareness. Under desynchronized stimulation of both areas, the propensity of mind wandering was increased, whereas synchronized stimulation increased the awareness of mind wandering. These results suggest a role of the dlPFC in initiation of mind wandering, whereas the vmPFC downregulates mind wandering, and might exert this function by counteracting respective dlPFC effects via theta oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Nejati
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Bahar Zamiran
- Department of Psychology, Shahid Beheshti University Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Michael A Nitsche
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Dortmund, Germany
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany
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Martínez-Pérez V, Andreu A, Sandoval-Lentisco A, Tortajada M, Palmero LB, Castillo A, Campoy G, Fuentes LJ. Vigilance decrement and mind-wandering in sustained attention tasks: Two sides of the same coin? Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1122406. [PMID: 37056308 PMCID: PMC10086236 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1122406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundDecrements in performance and the propensity for increased mind-wandering (i.e., task-unrelated thoughts) across time-on-task are two pervasive phenomena observed when people perform vigilance tasks. In the present study, we asked whether processes that lead to vigilance decrement and processes that foster the propensity for mind-wandering (MW) can be dissociated or whether they share a common mechanism. In one experiment, we introduced two critical manipulations: increasing task demands and applying anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.MethodSeventy-eight participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups resulting from the factorial combination of task demand (low, high) and stimulation (anodal, sham). Participants completed the sustained attention to response task (SART), which included thought probes on intentional and unintentional MW. In addition, we investigated the crucial role of alpha oscillations in a novel approach. By assessing pre-post resting EEG, we explored whether participants’ variability in baseline alpha power predicted performance in MW and vigilance decrement related to tDCS or task demands, respectively, and whether such variability was a stable characteristic of participants.ResultsOur results showed a double dissociation, such that task demands exclusively affected vigilance decrement, while anodal tDCS exclusively affected the rate of MW. Furthermore, the slope of the vigilance decrement function and MW rate (overall, intentional and unintentional) did not correlate. Critically, resting state alpha-band activity predicted tDCS-related gains in unintentional MW alone, but not in vigilance decrement, and remained stable after participants completed the task.ConclusionThese results show that when a sustained attention task involving executive vigilance, such as the SART, is designed to elicit both vigilance decrement effects and MW, the processes leading to vigilance decrement should be differentiated from those responsible for MW, a claim that is supported by the double dissociation observed here and the lack of correlation between the measures chosen to assess both phenomena. Furthermore, the results provide the first evidence of how individual differences in alpha power at baseline may be of crucial importance in predicting the effects of tDCS on MW propensity.
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Dai J, Wang H, Yang L, Wang C, Cheng S, Zhang T, Ma J, Wen Z, Cao X, Hu W. The neuroelectrophysiological and behavioral effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on executive vigilance under a continuous monotonous condition. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:910457. [PMID: 36161182 PMCID: PMC9489920 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.910457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A prolonged period of vigilance task will lead to vigilance decrement and a drop in cognitive efficiency. Although transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can be used to improve cognitive performance following vigilance decrement, the findings in this area of study are inconsistent. This study aims to identify the neuroelectrophysiological and behavioral effects of tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on executive vigilance under a continuous monotonous condition. We recruited 29 participants who randomly received 30 min active or sham tDCS before the vigilance task (anode electrode at the left DLPFC, cathode electrode at the right supraorbital area). Participants completed four sessions of vigilance task and five sessions of self-report sleepiness, Oddball task, and Go/Nogo task, for a total of about 5 h. EEG was acquired in real-time throughout the experiment. Repeated measures of ANOVA were utilized to analyze the evolution of each metric with task-on-time. The results demonstrated that subjective arousal state, vigilance performance, event-related potentials (ERPs), and EEG power were significantly affected by time on task. Brain stimulation did not significantly affect the evolution of subjective and objective executive vigilance performance, but significantly modulated spontaneous activity in the alpha and beta bands across the entire brain. The continuous enhancement of the prefrontal cortex increased P2 amplitude for the Oddball task, which was associated with the enhancement of the early stage of information processing. P3 amplitude had a temporary enhancement effect, which significantly decreased following a cognitive fatigue. tDCS had a continuous enhancement effect on N2 amplitude for the Go/Nogo task, which was associated with the enhanced inhibition of distracting stimuli. Together, the current data suggest that anodal tDCS over left DLPFC possibly enhances the early stage of relevant information processing and the inhibitory control of distracting stimuli during a continuous and monotonous vigilance task.
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Živanović M, Bjekić J, Konstantinović U, Filipović SR. Effects of online parietal transcranial electric stimulation on associative memory: a direct comparison between tDCS, theta tACS, and theta-oscillatory tDCS. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14091. [PMID: 35982223 PMCID: PMC9388571 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18376-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Associative memory (AM) is the ability to remember and retrieve multiple items bound together. Previous studies aiming to modulate AM by various transcranial electric stimulation (tES) techniques were inconclusive, although overall suggestive that tES could be a tool for AM enhancement. However, evidence from a direct comparison between different tES techniques is lacking. Here, in a sham-controlled cross-over experiment, we comparatively assessed the effects of three types of tES—anodal tDCS, theta-band transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), and theta-oscillatory tDCS (otDCS), delivered over the left posterior parietal cortex, during a short-term digit-color AM task with cued-recall. The effects were tested in 40 healthy young participants while both oscillatory tES were delivered at a previously determined individual theta frequency (4–8 Hz). All three active stimulations facilitated the overall AM performance, and no differences could be detected between them on direct comparison. However, unlike tDCS, the effects of which appeared to stem mainly from the facilitation of low-memory demand trials, both theta-modulated tACS and otDCS primarily promoted AM in high memory demand trials. Comparable yet differential effects of tDCS, theta tACS, and otDCS could be attributed to differences in their presumed modes of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Živanović
- Institute of Psychology & Laboratory for Research of Individual Differences, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Jovana Bjekić
- Human Neuroscience Group, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Uroš Konstantinović
- Human Neuroscience Group, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Saša R Filipović
- Human Neuroscience Group, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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Palmero LB, Martínez-Pérez V, Tortajada M, Campoy G, Fuentes LJ. Mid-luteal phase progesterone effects on vigilance tasks are modulated by women's chronotype. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2022; 140:105722. [PMID: 35316685 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In this study we assessed the effects of progesterone on vigilance tasks that require sustained attention. In contrast to previous research, we differentiated two components of vigilance: the exogenous component, involved in monotonous and tedious tasks such as the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT); and the endogenous component, involved in tasks that require cognitive control such as the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART). METHODS A sample of 32 female participants differing in extreme chronotypes were tested at their optimal and non-optimal time-of-day, as secretion of sex hormones follows biological rhythms. Ovulation tests that measure the presence of luteinizing hormone (LH) in urine were used to minimize methodological errors. Women of Morning-type or Evening-type chronotypes completed 4 experimental sessions of the two attentional tasks when they were in their follicular (low progesterone level) and mid-luteal (high progesterone level) phases, both in the morning (8:00 AM) and the evening (8:30 PM). RESULTS Compared with the follicular phase, performance in the mid-luteal phase improved in the Morning-type participants and worsened in the Evening-type participants. This pattern of results was observed only when testing occurred at the optimal time-of-day and with both the PVT and the SART tasks. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the simultaneous presence of both progesterone and cortisol at 8:00 AM may explain the benefit observed in Morning-type females. In contrast, the low concentration of cortisol along with the reduced benefit of mid-luteal phase progesterone in the evening may account for the worsening in performance observed in Evening-type females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucía B Palmero
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Víctor Martínez-Pérez
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Miriam Tortajada
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Guillermo Campoy
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Luis J Fuentes
- Departamento de Psicología Básica y Metodología, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
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