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Takahashi MTC, Balardin JB, Bazán PR, Boasquevisque DDS, Amaro E, Conforto AB. Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation in the initial weeks post-stroke: a pilot randomized study. EINSTEIN-SAO PAULO 2024; 22:eAO0450. [PMID: 38922218 PMCID: PMC11196089 DOI: 10.31744/einstein_journal/2024ao0450] [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: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed at assessing the alterations in upper limb motor impairment and connectivity between motor areas following the post-stroke delivery of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation sessions. METHODS Modifications in the Fugl-Meyer Assessment scores, connectivity between the primary motor cortex of the unaffected and affected hemispheres, and between the primary motor and premotor cortices of the unaffected hemisphere were compared prior to and following six sessions of cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation application in 13 patients (active = 6; sham = 7); this modality targets the primary motor cortex of the unaffected hemisphere early after a stroke. RESULTS Clinically relevant distinctions in Fugl-Meyer Assessment scores (≥9 points) were observed more frequently in the Sham Group than in the Active Group. Between-group differences in the alterations in Fugl-Meyer Assessment scores were not statistically significant (Mann-Whitney test, p=0.133). ROI-to-ROI correlations between the primary motor cortices of the affected and unaffected hemispheres post-therapeutically increased in 5/6 and 2/7 participants in the Active and Sham Groups, respectively. Between-group differences in modifications in connectivity between the aforementioned areas were not statistically significant. Motor performance enhancements were more frequent in the Sham Group compared to the Active Group. CONCLUSION The results of this hypothesis-generating investigation suggest that heightened connectivity may not translate into early clinical benefits following a stroke and will be crucial in designing larger cohort studies to explore mechanisms underlying the impacts of this intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02455427.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcela Tengler Carvalho Takahashi
- Hospital Municipal da Vila Santa Catarina Dr. Gilson Cássia Marques de CarvalhoHospital Israelita Albert EinsteinSão PauloSPBrazilHospital Municipal da Vila Santa Catarina Dr. Gilson Cássia Marques de Carvalho ; Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein,São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Joana Bisol Balardin
- Hospital Israelita Albert EinsteinSão PauloSPBrazil Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Paulo Rodrigo Bazán
- Hospital Israelita Albert EinsteinSão PauloSPBrazil Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Danielle de Sá Boasquevisque
- Division of NeurologyPopulation Health Research InstitutMcMaster UniversityHamiltonOntarioCanada Division of Neurology, Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Edson Amaro
- Hospital Israelita Albert EinsteinSão PauloSPBrazil Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
| | - Adriana Bastos Conforto
- Hospital Israelita Albert EinsteinSão PauloSPBrazil Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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Claaß LV, Hedrich A, Reinelt J, Sehm B, Villringer A, Schlagenhauf F, Kaminski J. Influence of noninvasive brain stimulation on connectivity and local activation: a combined tDCS and fMRI study. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024; 274:827-835. [PMID: 37597023 PMCID: PMC11127864 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-023-01666-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/21/2023]
Abstract
The effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on neurobiological mechanisms underlying executive function in the human brain remains elusive. This study aims at examining the effect of anodal and cathodal tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in comparison with sham stimulation on resting-state connectivity as well as functional activation and working memory performance. We hypothesized perturbed fronto-parietal resting-state connectivity during stimulation and altered working memory performance combined with modified functional working memory-related activation. We applied tDCS with 1 mA for 21 min over the DLPFC inside an fMRI scanner. During stimulation, resting-state fMRI was acquired and task-dependent fMRI during working memory task performance was acquired directly after stimulation. N = 36 healthy subjects were studied in a within-subject design with three different experimental conditions (anodal, cathodal and sham) in a double-blind design. Seed-based functional connectivity analyses and dynamic causal modeling were conducted for the resting-state fMRI data. We found a significant stimulation by region interaction in the seed-based ROI-to-ROI resting-state connectivity, but no effect on effective connectivity. We also did not find an effect of stimulation on task-dependent signal alterations in working memory activation in our regions of interest and no effect on working memory performance parameters. We found effects on measures of seed-based resting-state connectivity, while measures of effective connectivity and task-based connectivity did not show any stimulation effect. We could not replicate previous findings of tDCS stimulation effects on behavioral outcomes. We critically discuss possible methodological limitations and implications for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luise Victoria Claaß
- Department of Neurology, Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Annika Hedrich
- Department of Neurology, Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences CCM, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
| | - Janis Reinelt
- Department of Neurology, Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Bernhard Sehm
- Department of Neurology, Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg, Ernst-Grube-Str. 40, 06120, Halle, Germany
| | - Arno Villringer
- Department of Neurology, Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Day Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital at the University of Leipzig, Liebigstraße 16, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, MindBrainBody Institute, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10999, Berlin, Germany
| | - Florian Schlagenhauf
- Department of Neurology, Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences CCM, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jakob Kaminski
- Department of Neurology, Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences CCM, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
- Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099, Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
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Masoudi M, Ehsani F, Hedayati R, Ramezani M, Jaberzadeh S. Different montages of transcranial direct current stimulation on postural stability in chronic low back pain patients: A randomized sham-controlled study. J Back Musculoskelet Rehabil 2024:BMR230229. [PMID: 38607747 DOI: 10.3233/bmr-230229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impairment in both the motor and cognitive aspects of postural control is a critical issue in patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) who experience high pain anxiety (HPA). OBJECTIVE This study aimed to compare the effects of cathodal and anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (c-tDCS and a-tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on postural control during cognitive postural tasks in CLBP patients with HPA. METHODS This study included 66 patients randomly assigned to three groups: DLPFC a-tDCS, DLPFC c-tDCS, and sham tDCS. All groups received 20 minutes of tDCS, but the stimulation was gradually turned off in the sham group. Postural stability indices were assessed using the Biodex Balance System. RESULTS Both the a-tDCS and c-tDCS groups showed a significant reduction in most postural stability indices at static and dynamic levels after the interventions (immediately, 24 hours, and one-week follow-up) during the cognitive postural task (P< 0.01). Additionally, there was a significant improvement in postural balance in the a-tDCS and c-tDCS groups compared to the sham tDCS group (P< 0.01). Furthermore, the a-tDCS group showed significantly greater improvement than the c-tDCS group (P< 0.01). CONCLUSION Based on the results, both a-tDCS and c-tDCS over the DLPFC had positive effects on postural control during cognitive postural tasks in CLBP patients with HPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Masoudi
- Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Ehsani
- Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Rozita Hedayati
- Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Mona Ramezani
- Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Shapour Jaberzadeh
- Non-invasive Brain Stimulation and Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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4
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Oberman LM, Francis SM, Lisanby SH. The use of noninvasive brain stimulation techniques in autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2024; 17:17-26. [PMID: 37873560 PMCID: PMC10841888 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3041] [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: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), have recently emerged as alternative, nonpharmacological interventions for a variety of psychiatric, neurological, and neurodevelopmental conditions. NIBS is beginning to be applied in both research and clinical settings for the treatment of core and associated symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) including social communication deficits, restricted and repetitive behaviors, irritability, hyperactivity, depression and impairments in executive functioning and sensorimotor integration. Though there is much promise for these targeted device-based interventions, in other disorders (including adult major depressive disorder (MDD) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) where rTMS is FDA cleared), data on the safety and efficacy of these interventions in individuals with ASD is limited especially in younger children when neurodevelopmental interventions typically begin. Most studies are open-label, small scale, and/or focused on a restricted subgroup of individuals with ASD. There is a need for larger, randomized controlled trials that incorporate neuroimaging in order to develop predictive biomarkers of treatment response and optimize treatment parameters. We contend that until such studies are conducted, we do not have adequate estimates of the safety and efficacy of NIBS interventions in children across the spectrum. Thus, broad off-label use of these techniques in this population is not supported by currently available evidence. Here we discuss the existing data on the use of NIBS to treat symptoms related to ASD and discuss future directions for the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay M Oberman
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sunday M Francis
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Sarah H Lisanby
- Noninvasive Neuromodulation Unit, Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Ehsani F, Masoudi M, Hedayati R, Jaberzadeh S. Transcranial direct current stimulation over dorsolateral prefrontal cortex improves postural stability in non-specific chronic low back pain patients with high fear of pain: A randomized sham-controlled trial. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 58:3315-3329. [PMID: 37519282 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16090] [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: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Deficits in postural stability in response to environmental challenges are seen in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients with high fear of pain (HFP). Hence, it is essential to follow effective approaches to treat postural stability deficits and improve the health status of these patients. The current study aimed to compare the effects of cathodal and anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (c-tDCS and a-tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on postural stability in non-specific CLBP patients with HFP. In this randomized clinical trial study, 75 patients were randomly assigned to left DLPFC a-tDCS, left DLPFC c-tDCS and sham stimulation groups (n = 25 in each group). All groups received a single-session 2 mA tDCS for 20 min, but the stimulation was slowly turned off after 30 s in the sham group. Before, immediately, 24 h and 1 week after the interventions, postural stability indices were assessed using a Biodex Balance System. A significant reduction in most indices was shown in both a-tDCS and c-tDCS groups after interventions (immediately, 24 h and 1 week follow-up) during static and dynamic postural tasks compared with the sham tDCS group (p < .01). In addition, some tests showed a significant difference between a-tDCS and c-tDCS (p < .05). The findings indicated positive effects of both a-tDCS and c-tDCS on the left DLPFC, with more efficacy of a-tDCS on postural stability in LBP patients with HFP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatemeh Ehsani
- Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Mona Masoudi
- Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Rozita Hedayati
- Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
| | - Shapour Jaberzadeh
- Non-invasive Brain Stimulation and Neuroplasticity, Department of Physiotherapy, Nursing and Health Sceinces, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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Holczer A, Vékony T, Klivényi P, Must A. Frontal two-electrode transcranial direct current stimulation protocols may not affect performance on a combined flanker Go/No-Go task. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11901. [PMID: 37488206 PMCID: PMC10366169 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39161-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been tested to modulate cognitive control or response inhibition using various electrode montages. However, electrode montages and current polarities have not been systematically compared when examining tDCS effects on cognitive control and response inhibition. In this randomized, sham-controlled study, 38 healthy volunteers were randomly grouped into receiving one session of sham, anodal, and cathodal each in an electrode montage that targeted either the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) or the fronto-medial (FM) region. Participants performed a combined flanker Go/No-Go task during stimulation. No effect of tDCS was found in the DLPFC and FM groups neither using anodal nor cathodal stimulation. No major adverse effects of tDCS were identified using either montage or stimulation type and the two groups did not differ in terms of the reported sensations. The present study suggests that single-session tDCS delivered in two two-electrode montages might not affect cognitive control or response inhibition, despite using widely popular stimulation parameters. This is in line with the heterogeneous findings in the field and calls for further systematic research to exclude less reliable methods from those with more pronounced effects, identify the determinants of responsiveness, and develop optimal ways to utilize this technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrienn Holczer
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Health Centre, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, Hungary.
| | - Teodóra Vékony
- Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon CRNL U1028 UMR5292, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, 95 Boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France
| | - Péter Klivényi
- Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Györgyi Health Centre, University of Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Anita Must
- Chronos Systems on behalf of WCG Clinical Endpoint Solutions, Budapest, Hungary
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Shekari E, Nozari N. A narrative review of the anatomy and function of the white matter tracts in language production and comprehension. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1139292. [PMID: 37051488 PMCID: PMC10083342 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1139292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Much is known about the role of cortical areas in language processing. The shift towards network approaches in recent years has highlighted the importance of uncovering the role of white matter in connecting these areas. However, despite a large body of research, many of these tracts’ functions are not well-understood. We present a comprehensive review of the empirical evidence on the role of eight major tracts that are hypothesized to be involved in language processing (inferior longitudinal fasciculus, inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, uncinate fasciculus, extreme capsule, middle longitudinal fasciculus, superior longitudinal fasciculus, arcuate fasciculus, and frontal aslant tract). For each tract, we hypothesize its role based on the function of the cortical regions it connects. We then evaluate these hypotheses with data from three sources: studies in neurotypical individuals, neuropsychological data, and intraoperative stimulation studies. Finally, we summarize the conclusions supported by the data and highlight the areas needing further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ehsan Shekari
- Department of Neuroscience, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nazbanou Nozari
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC), Pittsburgh, PA, United States
- *Correspondence: Nazbanou Nozari
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Shah-Basak P, Boukrina O, Li XR, Jebahi F, Kielar A. Targeted neurorehabilitation strategies in post-stroke aphasia. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2023; 41:129-191. [PMID: 37980575 PMCID: PMC10741339 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-231344] [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] [Indexed: 11/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aphasia is a debilitating language impairment, affecting millions of people worldwide. About 40% of stroke survivors develop chronic aphasia, resulting in life-long disability. OBJECTIVE This review examines extrinsic and intrinsic neuromodulation techniques, aimed at enhancing the effects of speech and language therapies in stroke survivors with aphasia. METHODS We discuss the available evidence supporting the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and functional MRI (fMRI) real-time neurofeedback in aphasia rehabilitation. RESULTS This review systematically evaluates studies focusing on efficacy and implementation of specialized methods for post-treatment outcome optimization and transfer to functional skills. It considers stimulation target determination and various targeting approaches. The translation of neuromodulation interventions to clinical practice is explored, emphasizing generalization and functional communication. The review also covers real-time fMRI neurofeedback, discussing current evidence for efficacy and essential implementation parameters. Finally, we address future directions for neuromodulation research in aphasia. CONCLUSIONS This comprehensive review aims to serve as a resource for a broad audience of researchers and clinicians interested in incorporating neuromodulation for advancing aphasia care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Olga Boukrina
- Kessler Foundation, Center for Stroke Rehabilitation Research, West Orange, NJ, USA
| | - Xin Ran Li
- School of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Fatima Jebahi
- Department of Speech, Languageand Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Aneta Kielar
- Department of Speech, Languageand Hearing Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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Li Y, Beaty RE, Luchini S, Dai DY, Xiang S, Qi S, Li Y, Zhao R, Wang X, Hu W. Accelerating Creativity: Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on the Temporal Dynamics of Divergent Thinking. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2022.2068297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - David Yun Dai
- Shaanxi Normal University
- State University of New York at Albany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Weiping Hu
- Shaanxi Normal University
- Shaanxi Normal University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Toward Basic Education Quality at Beijing Normal University
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Inter-Individual Variability in tDCS Effects: A Narrative Review on the Contribution of Stable, Variable, and Contextual Factors. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12050522. [PMID: 35624908 PMCID: PMC9139102 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to its safety, portability, and cheapness, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) use largely increased in research and clinical settings. Despite tDCS’s wide application, previous works pointed out inconsistent and low replicable results, sometimes leading to extreme conclusions about tDCS’s ineffectiveness in modulating behavioral performance across cognitive domains. Traditionally, this variability has been linked to significant differences in the stimulation protocols across studies, including stimulation parameters, target regions, and electrodes montage. Here, we reviewed and discussed evidence of heterogeneity emerging at the intra-study level, namely inter-individual differences that may influence the response to tDCS within each study. This source of variability has been largely neglected by literature, being results mainly analyzed at the group level. Previous research, however, highlighted that only a half—or less—of studies’ participants could be classified as responders, being affected by tDCS in the expected direction. Stable and variable inter-individual differences, such as morphological and genetic features vs. hormonal/exogenous substance consumption, partially account for this heterogeneity. Moreover, variability comes from experiments’ contextual elements, such as participants’ engagement/baseline capacity and individual task difficulty. We concluded that increasing knowledge on inter-dividual differences rather than undermining tDCS effectiveness could enhance protocols’ efficiency and reproducibility.
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Stanković M, Živanović M, Bjekić J, Filipović SR. Blinding in tDCS Studies: Correct End-of-Study Guess Does Not Moderate the Effects on Associative and Working Memory. Brain Sci 2021; 12:brainsci12010058. [PMID: 35053802 PMCID: PMC8773753 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12010058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has become a valuable tool in cognitive neuroscience research as it enables causal inferences about neural underpinnings of cognition. However, studies using tDCS to modulate cognitive functions often yield inconsistent findings. Hence, there is an increasing interest in factors that may moderate the effects, one of which is the participants’ beliefs of the tDCS condition (i.e., real or sham) they received. Namely, whether participants’ correct guessing of sham condition may lead to false-positive tDCS effects. In this study, we aimed to explore if participants’ beliefs about received stimulation type (i.e., the success of blinding) impacted their task performance in tDCS experiments on associative (AM) and working memory (WM). We analyzed data from four within-subject, sham-controlled tDCS memory experiments (N = 83) to check if the correct end-of-study guess of sham condition moderated tDCS effects. We found no evidence that sham guessing moderated post-tDCS memory performance in experiments in which tDCS effects were observed as well as in experiments that showed null effects of tDCS. The results suggest that the correct sham guessing (i.e., placebo-like effect) is unlikely to influence the results in tDCS memory experiments. We discuss the results in light of the growing debate about the relevance and effectiveness of blinding in brain stimulation research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marija Stanković
- Human Neuroscience Group, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.S.); (S.R.F.)
| | - Marko Živanović
- Institute of Psychology and Laboratory for Research of Individual Differences, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia;
| | - Jovana Bjekić
- Human Neuroscience Group, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.S.); (S.R.F.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Saša R. Filipović
- Human Neuroscience Group, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.S.); (S.R.F.)
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Tartar JL, Banks JB, Marang M, Pizzo F, Antonio J. A Combination of Caffeine, TeaCrine® (Theacrine), and Dynamine® (Methylliberine) Increases Cognitive Performance and Reaction Time Without Interfering With Mood in Adult Male Egamers. Cureus 2021; 13:e20534. [PMID: 35103121 PMCID: PMC8768451 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.20534] [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] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Involvement in video game activities and competitive video gaming (esports) is a rapidly growing field. Moreover, there is a marked interest in identifying nutritional supplements to safely improve egamer performance. Methodology We conducted a repeated-measure, randomized crossover study to compare the effects of caffeine (125 mg), caffeine (125 mg) + Dynamine® (75 mg) + TeaCrine® (50 mg) (CDT), and matched placebo across three testing sessions (one week apart) among 50 young male egamers. We tested the effect of each product on multiple measures of cognition, self-reported mood (anxiety, alertness, and headache), and biomarkers of arousal (cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase). We also measured electroencephalogram power during the cognitive tasks. Finally, we tested whether individual differences in xenobiotic metabolism would affect the study outcome measures by genotyping each participant for cytochrome P450 1A2*1F (CYP1A2*1F) allele status. Results Compared to pre-dose, CDT improved performance on the Flanker Test of Inhibitory Control and improved reaction time on the Psychomotor Vigilance Task post-dose. Compared to the placebo, caffeine increased self-reported anxiety whereas the CDT combination increased self-reported alertness. Compared to the CDT combination, caffeine increased self-reported headaches. Physiological measures suggested that increases in delta EEG power and cortisol production are associated with the effects observed in the CDT condition to optimize certain aspects of egamer performance. CYP1A2*1F allele status did not moderate outcome variables between conditions in this study. Conclusions CDT is a safe and effective product for improving cognitive performance among egamers without increasing self-reported anxiety or headaches. EEG changes demonstrate that CDT increased attention to internal processing (i.e., increased cortical delta power) and potentially increased cognitive control (i.e., increased cortical theta frequency), while the increases in cortisol suggest increased energy mobilization. Future work should aim to clarify the physiological underpinnings of CDT-induced changes in performance and examine the effects of CDT under naturalistic egamer conditions.
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Modulation of Working Memory and Resting-State fMRI by tDCS of the Right Frontoparietal Network. Neural Plast 2021; 2021:5594305. [PMID: 34349797 PMCID: PMC8328716 DOI: 10.1155/2021/5594305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Many cognitive functions, including working memory, are processed within large-scale brain networks. We targeted the right frontoparietal network (FPN) with one session of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in an attempt to modulate the cognitive speed of a visual working memory task (WMT) in 27 young healthy subjects using a double-blind crossover design. We further explored the neural underpinnings of induced changes by performing resting-state fMRI prior to and immediately after each stimulation session with the main focus on the interaction between a task-positive FPN and a task-negative default mode network (DMN). Twenty minutes of 2 mA anodal tDCS was superior to sham stimulation in terms of cognitive speed manipulation of a subtask with processing of objects and tools in unconventional views (i.e., the higher cognitive load subtask of the offline WMT). This result was linked to the magnitude of resting-state functional connectivity decreases between the stimulated FPN seed and DMN seeds. We provide the first evidence for the action reappraisal mechanism of object and tool processing. Modulation of cognitive speed of the task by tDCS was reflected by FPN-DMN cross-talk changes.
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Friehs MA, Frings C, Hartwigsen G. Effects of single-session transcranial direct current stimulation on reactive response inhibition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 128:749-765. [PMID: 34271027 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is widely used to explore the role of various cortical regions for reactive response inhibition. In recent years, tDCS studies reported polarity-, time- and stimulation-site dependent effects on response inhibition. Given the large parameter space in which study designs, tDCS procedures and task procedures can differ, it is crucial to systematically explore the existing tDCS literature to increase the current understanding of potential modulatory effects and limitations of different approaches. We performed a systematic review on the modulatory effects of tDCS on response inhibition as measured by the Stop-Signal Task. The final dataset shows a large variation in methodology and heterogeneous effects of tDCS on performance. The most consistent result across studies is a performance enhancement due to anodal tDCS over the right prefrontal cortex. Partially sub-optimal choices in study design, methodology and lacking consistency in reporting procedures may impede valid conclusions and obscured the effects of tDCS on response inhibition in some previous studies. Finally, we outline future directions and areas to improve research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christian Frings
- Trier University, Department of Cognitive Psychology and Methodology, Trier, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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Using high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation to investigate the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in explicit sequence learning. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0246849. [PMID: 33735211 PMCID: PMC7971701 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0246849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Though we have a general understanding of the brain areas involved in motor sequence learning, there is more to discover about the neural mechanisms underlying skill acquisition. Skill acquisition may be subserved, in part, by interactions between the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex through a cerebello-thalamo-prefrontal network. In prior work, we investigated this network by targeting the cerebellum; here, we explored the consequence of stimulating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex using high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) before administering an explicit motor sequence learning paradigm. Using a mixed within- and between- subjects design, we employed anodal (n = 24) and cathodal (n = 25) HD-tDCS (relative to sham) to temporarily alter brain function and examine effects on skill acquisition. The results indicate that both anodal and cathodal prefrontal stimulation impedes motor sequence learning, relative to sham. These findings suggest an overall negative influence of active prefrontal stimulation on the acquisition of a sequential pattern of finger movements. Collectively, this provides novel insight on the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in initial skill acquisition, when cognitive processes such as working memory are used. Exploring methods that may improve motor learning is important in developing therapeutic strategies for motor-related diseases and rehabilitation.
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Noninvasive brain stimulation to lateral prefrontal cortex alters the novelty of creative idea generation. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 21:311-326. [PMID: 33624232 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00869-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Theories of the processes involved in creative cognition posit that cognitive control has a negative effect on creative idea generation but a positive effect on creative idea evaluation. Brain stimulation research has started to examine empirically the effects of cognitive control, with several reports of decreased cognitive control facilitating creative ideation. Such studies have shown how decreased cognitive control mechanisms facilitate creative idea generation, potentially by allowing participants access to less inhibited weaker-related associations, thereby increasing novelty. In the current study, we advance this line of work by investigating how cognitive control affects creative thinking, potentially inhibiting or facilitating novel idea generation based on task demands. Participants read sentences with the final word missing and were instructed to complete the sentence with an uncommon (but appropriate) ending. Participants performed this task while undergoing either anodal (excitatory), cathodal (inhibitory), or sham (control) transcranial direct current stimulation over their left prefrontal cortex. These responses were then rated for their novelty and appropriateness by an independent sample of raters. We found that anodal stimulation increased the appropriateness and decreased the novelty of participants' responses. Contrary to previous studies, we did not find that cathodal stimulation increased the novelty of participants' responses, which may be due to the nature of our task. Overall, we demonstrate how cognitive control mechanisms may inhibit novel idea generation.
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Živanović M, Paunović D, Konstantinović U, Vulić K, Bjekić J, Filipović SR. The effects of offline and online prefrontal vs parietal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on verbal and spatial working memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 179:107398. [PMID: 33540112 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Working memory (WM) is a limited-capacity system or set of processes that enables temporary storage and manipulation of information essential for complex cognitive processes. The WM performance is supported by a widespread neural network in which fronto-parietal functional connections have a pivotal role. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is rapidly emerging as a promising tool for understanding the role of various cortical areas and their functional networks on cognitive performance. Here we comprehensively evaluated the effects of tDCS on WM by conducting three cross-over counterbalanced sham-controlled experiments in which we contrasted the effects and interactions of the anodal (i.e. facilitatory) tDCS across anterior-posterior (i.e. DLPFC vs PPC) and left-right (i.e. the lateralization) axes, and across online and offline protocols using both verbal and spatial WM (3-back) tasks as outcomes. In the offline protocols, left DLPFC stimulation affected neither verbal nor spatial WM, while left PPC stimulation increased spatial WM. When applied offline over right DLPFC, tDCS improved verbal WM task and marginally enhanced spatial WM; while when tDCS was applied over the right PPC, facilitatory effects were observed on verbal WM. In the online protocol, tDCS did not modulate WM regardless of the task modality or stimulation loci. In summary, the study did not replicate the left DLPFC tDCS effect on WM, found in some of the previous studies, but demonstrated positive effects of stimulation of the right DLPFC as well as PPC bilaterally. The observed effects varied across modality of the 3-back task, and tDCS protocol applied. The results of this study argue for moving towards targeting the lesser-explored stimulation sites within the fronto-parietal network, such as PPC, to gain a better understanding of the usefulness of tDCS for WM neuromodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Živanović
- University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, Serbia
| | - Dunja Paunović
- University of Belgrade Institute for Medical Research, Human Neuroscience Group, Serbia
| | - Uroš Konstantinović
- University of Belgrade Institute for Medical Research, Human Neuroscience Group, Serbia
| | - Katarina Vulić
- University of Belgrade Institute for Medical Research, Human Neuroscience Group, Serbia
| | - Jovana Bjekić
- University of Belgrade Institute for Medical Research, Human Neuroscience Group, Serbia.
| | - Saša R Filipović
- University of Belgrade Institute for Medical Research, Human Neuroscience Group, Serbia
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Mannarelli D, Pauletti C, Petritis A, Delle Chiaie R, Currà A, Trompetto C, Fattapposta F. Effects of Cerebellar tDCS on Inhibitory Control: Evidence from a Go/NoGo Task. CEREBELLUM (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2020; 19:788-798. [PMID: 32666284 PMCID: PMC7588382 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-020-01165-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Response inhibition as an executive function refers to the ability to suppress inappropriate but prepotent responses. Several brain regions have been implicated in the process underlying inhibitory control, including the cerebellum. The aim of the present study was to explore the role of the cerebellum in executive functioning, particularly in response inhibition. For this purpose, we transitorily inhibited cerebellar activity by means of cathodal tDCS and studied the effects of this inhibition on ERP components elicited during a Go/NoGo task in healthy subjects. Sixteen healthy subjects underwent a Go/NoGo task prior to and after cathodal and sham cerebellar tDCS in separate sessions. A reduction in N2-NoGo amplitude and a prolongation in N2-NoGo latency emerged after cathodal tDCS whereas no differences were detected after sham stimulation. Moreover, commission errors in NoGo trials were significantly higher after cathodal tDCS than at the basal evaluation. No differences emerged between performances in Go trials and those after sham stimulation. These data indicate that cerebellar inhibition following cathodal stimulation alters the ability to allocate attentional resources to stimuli containing conflict information and the inhibitory control. The cerebellum may regulate the attentional mechanisms of stimulus orientation and inhibitory control both directly, by making predictions of errors or behaviors related to errors, and indirectly, by controlling the functioning of the cerebral cortical areas involved in the perception of conflict signals and of the basal ganglia involved in the inhibitory control of movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Mannarelli
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome, Italy
| | - Caterina Pauletti
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Petritis
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Delle Chiaie
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Currà
- Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, A. Fiorini Hospital, Terracina, LT, Sapienza University of Rome, Polo Pontino, Latina, Italy
| | - Carlo Trompetto
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health, University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
- Department of Neuroscience, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Francesco Fattapposta
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome, Italy
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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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Rodrigues de Almeida L, Pope PA, Hansen PC. Task load modulates tDCS effects on brain network for phonological processing. Cogn Process 2020; 21:341-363. [PMID: 32152767 PMCID: PMC7381442 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-020-00964-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Motor participation in phonological processing can be modulated by task nature across the speech perception to speech production range. The pars opercularis of the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) would be increasingly active across this range, because of changing motor demands. Here, we investigated with simultaneous tDCS and fMRI whether the task load modulation of tDCS effects translates into predictable patterns of functional connectivity. Findings were analysed under the "multi-node framework", according to which task load and the network structure underlying cognitive functions are modulators of tDCS effects. In a within-subject study, participants (N = 20) performed categorical perception, lexical decision and word naming tasks [which differentially recruit the target of stimulation (LIFG)], which were repeatedly administered in three tDCS sessions (anodal, cathodal and sham). The LIFG, left superior temporal gyrus and their right homologues formed the target network subserving phonological processing. C-tDCS inhibition and A-tDCS excitation should increase with task load. Correspondingly, the larger the task load, the larger the relevance of the target for the task and smaller the room for compensation of C-tDCS inhibition by less relevant nodes. Functional connectivity analyses were performed with partial correlations, and network compensation globally inferred by comparing the relative number of significant connections each condition induced relative to sham. Overall, simultaneous tDCS and fMRI was adequate to show that motor participation in phonological processing is modulated by task nature. Network responses induced by C-tDCS across phonological processing tasks matched predictions. A-tDCS effects were attributed to optimisation of network efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul A Pope
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Peter C Hansen
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
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Anodal tDCS of right temporo-parietal junction promotes threat detection in low-spatial-frequency channels. Neuropsychologia 2020; 146:107552. [PMID: 32623011 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107552] [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: 07/21/2019] [Revised: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Fast detection of threat is crucial for survival. Previous studies have suggested the involvement of low- and high-spatial-frequency (LSF and HSF) information in the process of threat detection. However, the specific contributions of LSF and HSF information to it are still controversial. Here we probed this issue by utilizing a prime procedure coupled with the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) technique. Specifically, in a single-blind design, participants were exposed to LSF or HSF faces prior to the presentation of looming or receding spheres. Meanwhile, tDCS was applied over the right or left temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), which has been found to be preferentially associated with the processing of LSF and HSF information, respectively. The results showed significant LSF-related facilitation of threat detection when anodal tDCS was applied to the right TPJ. However, HSF-related facilitation of threat detection was not observed when anodal tDCS was applied to the left TPJ. The findings support the idea that LSF information can facilitate threat detection, and provide direct evidence that the right TPJ is vital for LSF-related facilitation of threat detection.
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Cotelli M, Manenti R, Gobbi E, Enrici I, Rusich D, Ferrari C, Adenzato M. Theory of Mind Performance Predicts tDCS-Mediated Effects on the Medial Prefrontal Cortex: A Pilot Study to Investigate the Role of Sex and Age. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10050257. [PMID: 32353992 PMCID: PMC7288024 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10050257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has become an increasingly promising tool for understanding the relationship between brain and behavior. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the magnitude of sex- and age-related tDCS effects previously found in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during a Theory of Mind (ToM) task correlates with social cognition performance; in particular, we explored whether different patterns of activity would be detected in high- and low-performing participants. For this, young and elderly, male and female participants were categorized as a low- or high-performer according to their score on the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task. Furthermore, we explored whether sex- and age-related effects associated with active tDCS on the mPFC were related to cognitive functioning. We observed the following results: (i) elderly participants experience a significant decline in ToM performance compared to young participants; (ii) low-performing elderly females report slowing of reaction time when anodal tDCS is applied over the mPFC during a ToM task; and (iii) low-performing elderly females are characterized by lower scores in executive control functions, verbal fluency and verbal short-term memory. The relationship between tDCS results and cognitive functioning is discussed in light of the neuroscientific literature on sex- and age-related differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cotelli
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Via Pilastroni, 4, 25125 Brescia, BS, Italy
| | - Rosa Manenti
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Via Pilastroni, 4, 25125 Brescia, BS, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-030-3501457; Fax: +39-030-3533513
| | - Elena Gobbi
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Via Pilastroni, 4, 25125 Brescia, BS, Italy
| | - Ivan Enrici
- Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, TO, Italy
| | - Danila Rusich
- Department of Human Science, LUMSA University (Libera Università Maria Santissima Assunta), 00193 Rome, RM, Italy
| | - Clarissa Ferrari
- Statistics Service, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, 25125 Brescia, BS, Italy
| | - Mauro Adenzato
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, 10124 Turin, TO, Italy
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de Sousa AVC, Grittner U, Rujescu D, Külzow N, Flöel A. Impact of 3-Day Combined Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation-Visuospatial Training on Object-Location Memory in Healthy Older Adults and Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Alzheimers Dis 2020; 75:223-244. [PMID: 32280093 PMCID: PMC7306891 DOI: 10.3233/jad-191234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Associative object-location memory (OLM) is known to decline even in normal aging, and this process is accelerated in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Given the lack of curative treatment for Alzheimer's disease, activating cognitive resources during its preclinical phase might prevent progression to dementia. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) combined with an associative episodic memory training on OLM in MCI patients and in healthy elderly (HE). METHODS In a single-blind cross-over design, 16 MCI patients and 32 HE underwent a 3-day visuospatial OLM training paired with either 20 min or 30 s (sham) atDCS (1 mA, right temporoparietal cortex). Effects on immediate (training success) and long-term memory (1-month) were investigated by conducting Mixed Model analyses. In addition, the impact of combined intervention on within-session (online) and on between-session (offline) performance were explored. RESULTS OLM training+atDCS enhanced training success only in MCI patients, but not HE (difference n.s.). Relative performance gain was similar in MCI patients compared to HE under atDCS. No beneficial effect was found after 1-month. Exploratory analyses suggested a positive impact on online, but a negative effect on offline performance in MCI patients. In both groups, exploratory post-hoc analyses indicated an association between initially low-performers and greater benefit from atDCS. CONCLUSION Cognitive training in MCI may be enhanced by atDCS, but further delineation of the impact of current brain state, as well as temporal characteristics of multi-session atDCS-training application, may be needed to induce longer-lasting effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelica Vieira Cavalcanti de Sousa
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Neurocure Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ulrike Grittner
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Center for Stroke Research, Berlin, Germany
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dan Rujescu
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
| | - Nadine Külzow
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Neurocure Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Kliniken Beelitz GmbH, Neurological Rehabilitation Clinic, Beelitz-Heilstätten, Germany
| | - Agnes Flöel
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Neurocure Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Center for Stroke Research, Berlin, Germany
- University Medicine Greifswald, Department of Neurology, Greifswald, Germany
- German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Greifswald, Germany
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Adenzato M, Manenti R, Gobbi E, Enrici I, Rusich D, Cotelli M. Aging, sex and cognitive Theory of Mind: a transcranial direct current stimulation study. Sci Rep 2019; 9:18064. [PMID: 31792263 PMCID: PMC6889494 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54469-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 11/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is accompanied by changes in cognitive abilities and a great interest is spreading among researchers about aging impact on social cognition skills, such as the Theory of Mind (ToM). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used in social cognition studies founding evidence of sex-related different effects on cognitive ToM task in a young people sample. In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study, we applied one active and one sham tDCS session on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) during a cognitive ToM task, including both social (i.e., communicative) and nonsocial (i.e., private) intention attribution conditions, in sixty healthy aging individuals (30 males and 30 females). In half of the participants the anode was positioned over the mPFC, whereas in the other half the cathode was positioned over the mPFC. The results showed that: (i) anodal tDCS over the mPFC led to significant slower reaction times (vs. sham) for social intention attribution task only in female participants; (ii) No effects were found in both females and males during cathodal stimulation. We show for the first time sex-related differences in cognitive ToM abilities in healthy aging, extending previous findings concerning young participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauro Adenzato
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.,Neuroscience Institute of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Rosa Manenti
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Elena Gobbi
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Ivan Enrici
- Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Danila Rusich
- Department of Human Science, LUMSA University, Roma, Italy
| | - Maria Cotelli
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
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Dubreuil-Vall L, Chau P, Ruffini G, Widge AS, Camprodon JA. tDCS to the left DLPFC modulates cognitive and physiological correlates of executive function in a state-dependent manner. Brain Stimul 2019; 12:1456-1463. [PMID: 31221553 PMCID: PMC6851462 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2019.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to study anatomical and physiological dynamics and circuits supporting cognition and executive functions in particular has dramatically increased in recent years. However, its mechanisms of action remain only partially understood. OBJECTIVE In this study we assess the cognitive and physiological effects of anodal tDCS to the DLPFC on executive function in order to understand (1) the role of DLPFC laterality, (2) the physiological dynamics sustaining the modulation of executive function by tDCS, and (3) the impact of state-dependent dynamics. METHODS In a randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over study, we applied anodal tDCS targeting the left vs. right DLPFC vs. sham in 20 healthy individuals (10 males, 10 females). Immediately before and after tDCS, subjects performed the Flanker Task while we measured behavioral (reaction time and accuracy) and neurophysiological (ERP) responses. Specifically, the amplitude of N200, P300, ERN and Pe is compared before and after stimulation. RESULTS Anodal tDCS to the left DLPFC lead to a significant improvement in reaction time, an increase in P300 amplitude and a decrease in N200 amplitude in a state-dependent manner: baseline ERP amplitudes conditioned the effects of tDCS. CONCLUSION Given the role of these ERPs in conflict-related tasks, we speculate that tDCS is modulating the subconstructs of selective attention, conflict monitoring and response inhibition. These findings contribute to a further understanding of the role of left DLPFC in the modulation of executive function, and shed light into the mechanisms of action and the state dependent nature of tDCS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Dubreuil-Vall
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Laboratory for Neuropsychiatry and Neuromodulation, 149 13th st. 2nd floor, Boston, MA, 02129, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, Universitat de Barcelona, Casanova 143, 08036, Barcelona, Spain; Neuroelectrics Corporation, 210 Broadway, Suite 201, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
| | - Peggy Chau
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Laboratory for Neuropsychiatry and Neuromodulation, 149 13th st. 2nd floor, Boston, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Giulio Ruffini
- Neuroelectrics Corporation, 210 Broadway, Suite 201, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Alik S Widge
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Laboratory for Neuropsychiatry and Neuromodulation, 149 13th st. 2nd floor, Boston, MA, 02129, USA
| | - Joan A Camprodon
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Laboratory for Neuropsychiatry and Neuromodulation, 149 13th st. 2nd floor, Boston, MA, 02129, USA
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Osimo SA, Korb S, Aiello M. Obesity, subliminal perception and inhibition: Neuromodulation of the prefrontal cortex. Behav Res Ther 2019; 119:103408. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Wang X, Duan H, Kan Y, Wang B, Qi S, Hu W. The creative thinking cognitive process influenced by acute stress in humans: an electroencephalography study. Stress 2019; 22:472-481. [PMID: 31023110 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2019.1604665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
This study examined the underlying neural mechanism of acute stress affecting creative thinking. Twenty-six male participants underwent the Alternative Uses Test before and after acute stress test (Montreal Imaging Stress Task). Compared to before stress, stressed participants responded with higher salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase. The electroencephalogram results indicated a general decrease in upper-frequency alpha power after stress, compared with that of before stress. The decrease in upper-frequency alpha power observed in the first stage after exposure to stress was related to memory and attention. Additionally, stress also reduced the differences between individuals with different creative abilities. In summary, these findings indicated that acute stress impaired creative thinking and primarily affected the earlier phase of the process of creative cognition. This study provides some practical implications for educational practice and corporate innovation in that a more relaxed environment promotes creative output. Lay Summary Acute stress impaired creative thinking performance and mainly affects the earlier phase of the process of creative cognition. Additionally, stress seems to reduce the differences between individuals with different creative abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuewei Wang
- a Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education , Shaanxi Normal University , Xi'an , P. R. China
| | - Haijun Duan
- a Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education , Shaanxi Normal University , Xi'an , P. R. China
- b Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Towards Basic Education Quality at Beijing Normal University , Beijing , P. R. China
| | - Yuecui Kan
- a Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education , Shaanxi Normal University , Xi'an , P. R. China
| | - Botao Wang
- c Mental Health Education Center, Xidian University , Xi'an , P. R. China
| | - Senqing Qi
- a Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education , Shaanxi Normal University , Xi'an , P. R. China
| | - Weiping Hu
- a Key Laboratory of Modern Teaching Technology, Ministry of Education , Shaanxi Normal University , Xi'an , P. R. China
- b Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Towards Basic Education Quality at Beijing Normal University , Beijing , P. R. China
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Rodrigues de Almeida L, Pope PA, Hansen PC. Task load modulates tDCS effects on language performance. J Neurosci Res 2019; 97:1430-1454. [DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Paul A. Pope
- School of Psychology University of Birmingham Birmingham UK
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McDermott TJ, Wiesman AI, Mills MS, Spooner RK, Coolidge NM, Proskovec AL, Heinrichs‐Graham E, Wilson TW. tDCS modulates behavioral performance and the neural oscillatory dynamics serving visual selective attention. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:729-740. [PMID: 30368974 PMCID: PMC6328324 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive method for modulating human brain activity. Although there are several hypotheses about the net effects of tDCS on brain function, the field's understanding remains incomplete and this is especially true for neural oscillatory activity during cognitive task performance. In this study, we examined whether different polarities of occipital tDCS differentially alter flanker task performance and the underlying neural dynamics. To this end, 48 healthy adults underwent 20 min of anodal, cathodal, or sham occipital tDCS, and then completed a visual flanker task during high-density magnetoencephalography (MEG). The resulting oscillatory responses were imaged in the time-frequency domain using beamforming, and the effects of tDCS on task-related oscillations and spontaneous neural activity were assessed. The results indicated that anodal tDCS of the occipital cortices inhibited flanker task performance as measured by reaction time, elevated spontaneous activity in the theta (4-7 Hz) and alpha (9-14 Hz) bands in prefrontal and occipital cortices, respectively, and reduced task-related theta oscillatory activity in prefrontal cortices during task performance. Cathodal tDCS of the occipital cortices did not significantly affect behavior or any of these neuronal parameters in any brain region. Lastly, the power of theta oscillations in the prefrontal cortices was inversely correlated with reaction time. In conclusion, anodal tDCS modulated task-related oscillations and spontaneous activity across multiple cortical areas, both near the electrode and in distant sites that were putatively connected to the targeted regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy J. McDermott
- Center for MagnetoencephalographyUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraska
| | - Alex I. Wiesman
- Center for MagnetoencephalographyUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraska
- Department of Neurological SciencesUNMCOmahaNebraska
| | - Mackenzie S. Mills
- Center for MagnetoencephalographyUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraska
| | - Rachel K. Spooner
- Center for MagnetoencephalographyUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraska
- Department of Neurological SciencesUNMCOmahaNebraska
| | - Nathan M. Coolidge
- Center for MagnetoencephalographyUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraska
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of NebraskaOmahaNebraska
| | - Amy L. Proskovec
- Center for MagnetoencephalographyUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraska
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of NebraskaOmahaNebraska
| | - Elizabeth Heinrichs‐Graham
- Center for MagnetoencephalographyUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraska
- Department of Neurological SciencesUNMCOmahaNebraska
| | - Tony W. Wilson
- Center for MagnetoencephalographyUniversity of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)OmahaNebraska
- Department of Neurological SciencesUNMCOmahaNebraska
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Tardiff N, Graves KN, Thompson-Schill SL. The Role of Frontostriatal Systems in Instructed Reinforcement Learning: Evidence From Genetic and Experimentally-Induced Variation. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 12:472. [PMID: 30618672 PMCID: PMC6304395 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Instructions have a powerful effect on learning and decision-making, biasing choice even in the face of disconfirming feedback. Detrimental biasing effects have been reported in a number of studies in which instruction was given prior to trial-and-error learning. Previous work has attributed individual differences in instructional bias to variations in prefrontal and striatal dopaminergic genes, suggesting a role for prefrontally-mediated cognitive control processes in biasing learning. The current study replicates and extends these findings. Human subjects performed a probabilistic reinforcement learning task after receiving inaccurate instructions about the quality of one of the options. In order to establish a causal relationship between prefrontal cortical mechanisms and instructional bias, we applied transcranial direct current stimulation over dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (anodal, cathodal, or sham) while subjects performed the task. We additionally genotyped subjects for the COMT Val158Met genetic polymorphism, which influences the breakdown of prefrontal dopamine, and for the DAT1/SLC6A3 variable number tandem repeat, which affects expression of striatal dopamine transporter. We replicated the finding that the COMT Met allele is associated with increased instructional bias and further demonstrated that variation in DAT1 has similar effects to variation in COMT, with 9-repeat carriers demonstrating increased bias relative to 10-repeat homozygotes. Consistent with increased top-down regulation of reinforcement learning, anodal subjects demonstrated greater bias relative to sham, though this effect was present only early in training. In contrast, there was no effect of cathodal stimulation. Finally, we fit computational models to subjects' data to better characterize the mechanisms underlying instruction bias. A novel choice bias model, in which instructions influence decision-making rather than learning, was found to best account for subjects' behavior. Overall, these data provide further evidence for the role of frontostriatal interactions in biasing instructed reinforcement learning, which adds to the growing literature documenting both costs and benefits of cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Tardiff
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Kathryn N Graves
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Bjekić J, Čolić MV, Živanović M, Milanović SD, Filipović SR. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over parietal cortex improves associative memory. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2019; 157:114-120. [DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2018.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Buchwald A, Calhoun H, Rimikis S, Lowe MS, Wellner R, Edwards DJ. Using tDCS to facilitate motor learning in speech production: The role of timing. Cortex 2018; 111:274-285. [PMID: 30551048 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Revised: 09/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
There exists debate regarding the extent to which transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can affect or enhance human behavior. Here, we examined a previously unexplored domain: speech motor learning. We investigated whether speech motor learning in unimpaired participants can be enhanced using a single-session tDCS experiment, and investigated whether the timing of tDCS relative to a behavioral task affected performance. Participants (N = 80) performed a twenty minute learning task with nonwords containing non-native consonant clusters (e.g., GDEEVOO), and were assigned to groups receiving either sham or active tDCS either immediately before or during the task. Both accuracy and properties of errors were examined throughout the course of the practice task, and then practice was compared to a retention period 30 min later (R1) and two days later (R2). For cluster and whole-(non)word accuracy measures, acquisition was observed for all groups during the practice session. Compared to the beginning of practice, the tDCS-Before group showed significantly greater improvement than both the sham group and the tDCS-During group at R1. An effect was also observed for vowel duration in errors (/gdivu/ → [gədivu]), with the tDCS-Before group showing significant shortening of vowel errors throughout practice. Overall, the findings suggest that tDCS can improve speech motor learning, and that the improvement may be greater when tDCS is applied immediately before practice, warranting further exploration of this new domain for tDCS research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Buchwald
- New York University, Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Holly Calhoun
- New York University, Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York, NY, USA
| | - Stacey Rimikis
- New York University, Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mara Steinberg Lowe
- New York University, Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rebecca Wellner
- New York University, Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, New York, NY, USA
| | - Dylan J Edwards
- Burke Medical Research Institute, Edith Cowan University and Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, NY, USA; Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Binney RJ, Ashaie SA, Zuckerman BM, Hung J, Reilly J. Frontotemporal stimulation modulates semantically-guided visual search during confrontation naming: A combined tDCS and eye tracking investigation. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 180-182:14-23. [PMID: 29655024 PMCID: PMC5990472 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was paired with eye tracking to elucidate contributions of frontal, temporoparietal and anterior temporal cortex to early visual search patterns during picture naming (e.g., rapid visual scanning to diagnostic semantic features). Neurotypical adults named line drawings of objects prior to and following tDCS in three separate sessions, each employing a unique electrode montage. The gaze data revealed montage by stimulation (pre/post) interaction effects characterized by longer initial visual fixations (mean difference = 89 ms; Cohen's d = .8) and cumulative fixation durations (mean difference = 98 ms; Cohen's d = .9) on key semantic features (e.g., the head of an animal) after cathodal frontotemporal stimulation relative to the pre-stimulation baseline. We interpret these findings as reflecting a tDCS-induced modulation of semantic contributions of the anterior temporal lobe(s) to top-down influences on object recognition. Further, we discuss implications for the optimization of tDCS for the treatment of anomia in aphasia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Binney
- School of Psychology, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Sameer A Ashaie
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bonnie M Zuckerman
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jinyi Hung
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jamie Reilly
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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To WT, Eroh J, Hart J, Vanneste S. Exploring the effects of anodal and cathodal high definition transcranial direct current stimulation targeting the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Sci Rep 2018. [PMID: 29535340 PMCID: PMC5849683 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22730-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) has been identified as a core region affected by many disorders, representing a promising target for neuromodulation. High Definition-transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technique that has already shown promising outcomes and has been tested to engage deeper structures. This study investigates whether it is possible to modulate dACC activity using anodal and cathodal HD-tDCS. Furthermore, it examines what effects anodal and cathodal HD-tDCS targeting dACC have on cognitive and emotional processing. Forty-five healthy subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: anodal, cathodal, and sham. Resting-state electroencephalography (rsEEG) and a cognitive and emotional Counting Stroop task were administered before and after HD-tDCS. RsEEG showed changes: anodal HD-tDCS showed significant increase in beta frequency band activity in dACC, while cathodal HD-tDCS led to significant increase in activity at dorsal and rostral ACC in the theta frequency band. Behavioral changes were also found after anodal HD-tDCS in the cognitive Counting Stroop for incongruent trials and after cathodal HD-tDCS in the emotional Counting Stroop for emotional trials. This study demonstrated that HD-tDCS is able to modulate dACC activity, suggesting that it has the potential to be used as a treatment tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wing Ting To
- The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 800 West Campbell Road, Texas, 75080, USA.
| | - Justin Eroh
- The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 800 West Campbell Road, Texas, 75080, USA
| | - John Hart
- The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 800 West Campbell Road, Texas, 75080, USA
| | - Sven Vanneste
- The University of Texas at Dallas, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 800 West Campbell Road, Texas, 75080, USA
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Abstract
In addition to the role of left frontotemporal areas in language processing, there is increasing evidence that language comprehension and production require cognitive control and working memory resources involving the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the left DLPFC in both language comprehension and production. In a double-blind, sham-controlled crossover experiment, thirty-two participants received cathodal or sham transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the left DLPFC while performing a language comprehension and a language production task. Results showed that cathodal tDCS increases reaction times in the language comprehension task, but decreases naming latencies in the language production task. However, additional analyses revealed that the polarity of tDCS effects was highly correlated across tasks, implying differential individual susceptibility to the effect of tDCS within participants. Overall, our findings demonstrate that left DLPFC is part of the complex cortical network associated with language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Klaus
- Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
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36
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Poststimulation time interval-dependent effects of motor cortex anodal tDCS on reaction-time task performance. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2018; 18:167-175. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-0561-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
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37
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Binney RJ, Zuckerman BM, Waller HN, Hung J, Ashaie SA, Reilly J. Cathodal tDCS of the bilateral anterior temporal lobes facilitates semantically-driven verbal fluency. Neuropsychologia 2018; 111:62-71. [PMID: 29337133 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Revised: 01/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
In a verbal fluency task, a person is required to produce as many exemplars of a given category (e.g., 'animals', or words starting with 'f') as possible within a fixed duration. Successful verbal fluency performance relies both on the depth of search within semantic/phonological neighborhoods ('clustering') and the ability to flexibly disengage between exhausted clusters ('switching'). Convergent evidence from functional imaging and neuropsychology suggests that cluster-switch behaviors engage dissociable brain regions. Switching has been linked to a frontoparietal network dedicated to executive functioning and controlled lexical retrieval, whereas clustering is more commonly associated with temporal lobe regions dedicated to semantic and phonological processing. Here we attempted to modulate cluster-switch dynamics among neurotypical adults (N = 24) using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivered at three sites: a) anterior temporal cortex; b) frontal cortex; and c) temporoparietal cortex. Participants completed letter-guided and semantic category verbal fluency tasks pre/post stimulation. Cathodal stimulation of anterior temporal cortex facilitated the total number of words generated and the number of words generated within clusters during semantic category verbal fluency. These neuromodulatory effects were specific to stimulation of the one anatomical site. Our findings highlight the role of the anterior temporal lobes in representing semantic category structure and support the claim that clustering and switching behaviors have distinct substrates. We discuss implications both for theory and application to neurorehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Binney
- School of Psychology, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Bonnie M Zuckerman
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Hilary N Waller
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jinyi Hung
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Sameer A Ashaie
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jamie Reilly
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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Thair H, Holloway AL, Newport R, Smith AD. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): A Beginner's Guide for Design and Implementation. Front Neurosci 2017; 11:641. [PMID: 29213226 PMCID: PMC5702643 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2017.00641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a popular brain stimulation method that is used to modulate cortical excitability, producing facilitatory or inhibitory effects upon a variety of behaviors. There is, however, a current lack of consensus between studies, with many results suggesting that polarity-specific effects are difficult to obtain. This article explores some of these differences and highlights the experimental parameters that may underlie their occurrence. We provide a general, practical snapshot of tDCS methodology, including what it is used for, how to use it, and considerations for designing an effective and safe experiment. Our aim is to equip researchers who are new to tDCS with the essential knowledge so that they can make informed and well-rounded decisions when designing and running successful experiments. By summarizing the varied approaches, stimulation parameters, and outcomes, this article should help inform future tDCS research in a variety of fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayley Thair
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Amy L Holloway
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Roger Newport
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alastair D Smith
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.,School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom
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Nasehi M, Soltanpour R, Ebrahimi-Ghiri M, Zarrabian S, Zarrindast MR. Interference effects of transcranial direct current stimulation over the right frontal cortex and adrenergic system on conditioned fear. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2017; 234:3407-3416. [PMID: 28887641 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-017-4722-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/20/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The effects of pharmacological interventions on fear memory have widely been studied, but there are very few studies about the effects of brain electrical stimulation on fear memory function. OBJECTIVE Therefore, our aim was to determine whether anodal/cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right frontal cortex would modify propranolol-induced contextual and auditory fear memory deficits, before or after training. METHODS The adult NMRI male mice were randomly assigned into three groups: the sham group, the anodal tDCS group, and the cathodal tDCS group. Fear memories were evaluated using a classical fear conditioning apparatus. RESULTS While the anodal stimulation did not affect fear retrieval, post-training cathodal stimulation improved fear memory retrieval. Regardless of when propranolol (0.1 mg/kg) was administered, it impaired fear memory retrieval. However, when anodal stimulation and propranolol were applied prior to the training, contextual fear memory retrieval was increased and auditory fear memory was reversed. An enhanced contextual retrieval was also observed when propranolol was administered prior to the training and stimulation occurred after the training. Only when the stimulation occurred prior to the training and propranolol was administered after the training was there a selective improvement in contextual fear memory retrieval, leaving the auditory fear memory retrieval impaired. Interestingly, cathodal stimulation improved the effects of propranolol on auditory fear memory only when it occurred prior to the training. CONCLUSION The results highlight possible improving effects for anodal/cathodal tDCS on propranolol-induced deficits on fear memories. The timing of the interventions related to the specific phases of memory formation is important in modulating fear behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Nasehi
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Reyhaneh Soltanpour
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Islamic Azad University, Garmsar Branch, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Shahram Zarrabian
- Cognitive and Neuroscience Research Center (CNRC), Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast
- Department of Pharmacology School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 13145-784, Tehran, Iran. .,Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. .,Medical Genomics Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. .,Institute for Cognitive Science Studies (ICSS), Tehran, Iran. .,University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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40
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Bruno V, Fossataro C, Bolognini N, Zigiotto L, Vallar G, Berti A, Garbarini F. The role of premotor and parietal cortex during monitoring of involuntary movement: A combined TMS and tDCS study. Cortex 2017; 96:83-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2017] [Revised: 08/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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41
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Brückner S, Kammer T. Both anodal and cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation improves semantic processing. Neuroscience 2017; 343:269-275. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Revised: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Arnold JE, Nozari N. The effects of utterance timing and stimulation of left prefrontal cortex on the production of referential expressions. Cognition 2017; 160:127-144. [PMID: 28088713 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2014] [Revised: 12/05/2016] [Accepted: 12/21/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
We examined the relationship between the timing of utterance initiation and the choice of referring expressions, e.g., pronouns (it), zeros (…and went down), or descriptive NPs (the pink pentagon). We examined language production in healthy adults, and used anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to test the involvement of the left prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the timing of utterance production and the selection of reference forms in a discourse context. Twenty-two subjects (11 anodal, 11sham) described fast-paced actions, e.g. The gray oval flashes, then it moves right 2 blocks. We only examined trials in contexts that supported pronoun/zero use. For sham participants, pronouns/zeros increased on trials with longer latencies to initiate the target utterance, and trials where the previous trial was short. We argue that both of these conditions enabled greater message pre-planning and greater discourse connectedness: The strongest predictor of pronoun/zero usage was the presence of a connector word like and or then, which was also tended to occur on trials with longer latencies. For the anodal participants, the latency effect disappeared. PFC stimulation appeared to enable participants to produce utterances with greater discourse connectedness, even while planning incrementally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E Arnold
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States.
| | - Nazbanou Nozari
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University, United States; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, United States
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43
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Reinhart RMG, Cosman JD, Fukuda K, Woodman GF. Using transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) to understand cognitive processing. Atten Percept Psychophys 2017; 79:3-23. [PMID: 27804033 PMCID: PMC5539401 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-016-1224-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Noninvasive brain stimulation methods are becoming increasingly common tools in the kit of the cognitive scientist. In particular, transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) is showing great promise as a tool to causally manipulate the brain and understand how information is processed. The popularity of this method of brain stimulation is based on the fact that it is safe, inexpensive, its effects are long lasting, and you can increase the likelihood that neurons will fire near one electrode and decrease the likelihood that neurons will fire near another. However, this method of manipulating the brain to draw causal inferences is not without complication. Because tDCS methods continue to be refined and are not yet standardized, there are reports in the literature that show some striking inconsistencies. Primary among the complications of the technique is that the tDCS method uses two or more electrodes to pass current and all of these electrodes will have effects on the tissue underneath them. In this tutorial, we will share what we have learned about using tDCS to manipulate how the brain perceives, attends, remembers, and responds to information from our environment. Our goal is to provide a starting point for new users of tDCS and spur discussion of the standardization of methods to enhance replicability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M G Reinhart
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Research in Sensory Communications and Neural Technology, Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | - Josh D Cosman
- Department of Translational Medicine, Pfizer Inc., Cambridge, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Keisuke Fukuda
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Geoffrey F Woodman
- Department of Psychology, Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA.
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Karuza EA, Balewski ZZ, Hamilton RH, Medaglia JD, Tardiff N, Thompson-Schill SL. Mapping the Parameter Space of tDCS and Cognitive Control via Manipulation of Current Polarity and Intensity. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:665. [PMID: 28082886 PMCID: PMC5187365 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In the cognitive domain, enormous variation in methodological approach prompts questions about the generalizability of behavioral findings obtained from studies of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). To determine the impact of common variations in approach, we systematically manipulated two key stimulation parameters—current polarity and intensity—and assessed their impact on a task of inhibitory control (the Eriksen Flanker). Ninety participants were randomly assigned to one of nine experimental groups: three stimulation conditions (anode, sham, cathode) crossed with three intensity levels (1.0, 1.5, 2.0 mA). As participants performed the Flanker task, stimulation was applied over left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; electrode montage: F3-RSO). The behavioral impact of these manipulations was examined using mixed effects linear regression. Results indicate a significant effect of stimulation condition (current polarity) on the magnitude of the interference effect during the Flanker; however, this effect was specific to the comparison between anodal and sham stimulation. Inhibitory control was therefore improved by anodal stimulation over the DLPFC. In the present experimental context, no reliable effect of stimulation intensity was observed, and we found no evidence that inhibitory control was impeded by cathodal stimulation. Continued exploration of the stimulation parameter space, particularly with more robustly powered sample sizes, is essential to facilitating cross-study comparison and ultimately working toward a reliable model of tDCS effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth A Karuza
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | - Zuzanna Z Balewski
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | - Roy H Hamilton
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | - John D Medaglia
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | - Nathan Tardiff
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA, USA
| | - Sharon L Thompson-Schill
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, PhiladelphiaPA, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, PhiladelphiaPA, USA
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Schroeder PA, Plewnia C. Beneficial Effects of Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Cognitive Performance. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE ENHANCEMENT 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s41465-016-0005-0] [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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Brückner S, Kammer T. No Modulation of Visual Cortex Excitability by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167697. [PMID: 27936117 PMCID: PMC5147954 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Accepted: 11/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Measuring phosphene thresholds (PTs) is often used to investigate changes in the excitability of the human visual cortex through different brain stimulation methods like repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In several studies, PT increase or decrease has been shown after rTMS or tDCS application. Recently, using PT measurements we showed that the state of the neurons in the visual cortex after rTMS might have an influence on the modulatory effects of stimulation. In the present study we aimed to investigate whether visual cortex activity following stimulation influences the modulatory effects of tDCS as well. In a between-group design, anodal or cathodal tDCS was applied to the visual cortex twice per subject, with either high or low visual demand following stimulation. We observed no modulation of PT neither directly following both anodal and cathodal tDCS nor following the visual demand periods. We rather found high inter-individual variability in the response to tDCS, and intra-individual reliability in the direction of modulation was observed for cathodal tDCS only. Thus, our results do not confirm the modulatory effects of tDCS on visual cortex excitability published previously. Moreover, they support the confirmation that tDCS effects have little reliability on varied TMS outcome measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Brückner
- Section for Neurostimulation, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Thomas Kammer
- Section for Neurostimulation, Department of Psychiatry, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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Breitling C, Zaehle T, Dannhauer M, Bonath B, Tegelbeckers J, Flechtner HH, Krauel K. Improving Interference Control in ADHD Patients with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). Front Cell Neurosci 2016; 10:72. [PMID: 27147964 PMCID: PMC4834583 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2016.00072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2015] [Accepted: 03/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been suggested as a promising alternative to psychopharmacological treatment approaches due to its local and network effects on brain activation. In the current study, we investigated the impact of tDCS over the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) on interference control in 21 male adolescents with ADHD and 21 age matched healthy controls aged 13–17 years, who underwent three separate sessions of tDCS (anodal, cathodal, and sham) while completing a Flanker task. Even though anodal stimulation appeared to diminish commission errors in the ADHD group, the overall analysis revealed no significant effect of tDCS. Since participants showed a considerable learning effect from the first to the second session, performance in the first session was separately analyzed. ADHD patients receiving sham stimulation in the first session showed impaired interference control compared to healthy control participants whereas ADHD patients who were exposed to anodal stimulation, showed comparable performance levels (commission errors, reaction time variability) to the control group. These results suggest that anodal tDCS of the right inferior frontal gyrus could improve interference control in patients with ADHD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Breitling
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tino Zaehle
- Department of Neurology, University of Magdeburg Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Moritz Dannhauer
- Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, Center for Integrated Biomedical Computing, University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Björn Bonath
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Jana Tegelbeckers
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Hans-Henning Flechtner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Magdeburg Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Kerstin Krauel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of MagdeburgMagdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, University of MagdeburgMagdeburg, Germany
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To WT, Hart J, De Ridder D, Vanneste S. Considering the influence of stimulation parameters on the effect of conventional and high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation. Expert Rev Med Devices 2016; 13:391-404. [DOI: 10.1586/17434440.2016.1153968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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Hussey EK, Ward N, Christianson K, Kramer AF. Language and Memory Improvements following tDCS of Left Lateral Prefrontal Cortex. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141417. [PMID: 26528814 PMCID: PMC4631603 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 10/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research demonstrates that performance on executive-control measures can be enhanced through brain stimulation of lateral prefrontal regions. Separate psycholinguistic work emphasizes the importance of left lateral prefrontal cortex executive-control resources during sentence processing, especially when readers must override early, incorrect interpretations when faced with temporary ambiguity. Using transcranial direct current stimulation, we tested whether stimulation of left lateral prefrontal cortex had discriminate effects on language and memory conditions that rely on executive-control (versus cases with minimal executive-control demands, even in the face of task difficulty). Participants were randomly assigned to receive Anodal, Cathodal, or Sham stimulation of left lateral prefrontal cortex while they (1) processed ambiguous and unambiguous sentences in a word-by-word self-paced reading task and (2) performed an n-back memory task that, on some trials, contained interference lure items reputed to require executive-control. Across both tasks, we parametrically manipulated executive-control demands and task difficulty. Our results revealed that the Anodal group outperformed the remaining groups on (1) the sentence processing conditions requiring executive-control, and (2) only the most complex n-back conditions, regardless of executive-control demands. Together, these findings add to the mounting evidence for the selective causal role of left lateral prefrontal cortex for executive-control tasks in the language domain. Moreover, we provide the first evidence suggesting that brain stimulation is a promising method to mitigate processing demands encountered during online sentence processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika K. Hussey
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Nathan Ward
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Kiel Christianson
- Department of Education Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Arthur F. Kramer
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, United States of America
- Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
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