scholarly journals The Polarity-Specific Nature of Single-Session High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation to the Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex on Motor and Non-motor Task Performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ted Maldonado ◽  
Jessica A. Bernard
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Single Session ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation

scholarly journals The polarity specific nature of single session high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation to the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex on motor and non-motor task performance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ted Maldonado ◽  
Jessica A. Bernard
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Cathodal Stimulation ◽  
Effortful Processing

AbstractThe cerebellum has an increasingly recognized role in higher order cognition. Advancements in noninvasive neuromodulation techniques allows one to focally create functional alterations in the cerebellum to investigate its role in cognitive functions. To this point, work in this area has been mixed, in part due to varying methodologies for stimulation, and it is unclear whether or not transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) effects on the cerebellum are task or load dependent. Here, we employed a between-subjects design using a high definition tDCS system to apply anodal, cathodal, or sham stimulation to the cerebellum or prefrontal cortex (PFC) to examine the role the cerebellum plays in verbal working memory, inhibition, motor learning, and balance performance, and how this interaction might interact with the cortex (i.e. PFC). We predicted performance decrements following anodal stimulation and performance increases following cathodal stimulation, compared to sham. Broadly, our work provides evidence for cerebellar contributions to cognitive processing, particularly in verbal working memory and sequence learning. Additionally, we found the effect of stimulation might be load specific, particularly when applied to the cerebellum. Critically, anodal simulation negatively impacted performance during effortful processing, but was helpful during less effortful processing. Cathodal stimulation hindered task performance, regardless of simulation region. The current results suggest an effect of stimulation on cognition, perhaps suggesting that the cerebellum is more critical when processing is less effortful but becomes less involved under higher load when processing is more prefrontally-dependent.

scholarly journals Testing the role of cognitive inhibition in physical endurance using high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation over the prefrontal cortex

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gauthier Denis ◽  
Raphael Zory ◽  
Rémi Radel
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Physical Endurance ◽  
Cognitive Inhibition ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Physical Effort ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation

AbstractThe aim of this study was to clarify the role of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in physical effort regulation. We hypothesized that the PFC would be progressively involved in physical endurance through the engagement of cognitive inhibition, which would be necessary to maintain effort by inhibiting fatigue-related cues. This hypothesis was examined using a double-blind, sham-controlled, within-subjects study (N = 20) using high-definition (HD) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Participants had to maintain a knee extensor contraction at 30% of their maximal force while simultaneously performing an Eriksen flanker task to evaluate their inhibition performance during the task. Anodal stimulation of the dlPFC influenced response to the cognitive task during exercise, as seen by slower response times and better accuracy. However, it did not lead to any measureable improvement in cognitive inhibition and did not influence endurance time. There was no correlation between cognitive inhibition and the maintenance of physical effort. This result could be explained by some methodological limitations of our protocol, and we also provide alternative explanations for the contribution of the PFC in physical endurance.

scholarly journals High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Right Lateral Prefrontal Cortex Increases Maximization Tendencies

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haixia Wang ◽  
Hanqi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right ◽  
Motivational Changes

People seek the best in every aspect of life. However, little is known about the neurobiological mechanisms supporting this process of maximization. In this study, maximization tendencies were increased by using high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Participants (n = 64) received 2 mA anodal 4 × 1 HD-tDCS or sham stimulation over the right DLPFC in two sessions and subsequently completed an N-back working memory task and a maximization scale (MS). We observed that maximization tendency scores increased during anodal stimulation. Furthermore, the results indicate that this increase in maximization tendency was driven by motivational changes. On the MS, alternative search subscale scores were significantly increased, demonstrating an increase in motivation to evaluate more alternatives; however, the results did not indicate that the increase in maximization tendencies was due to working memory improvement. These results demonstrated that maximization tendencies can be strengthened through noninvasive interventions and that the right DLPFC has a causal relationship with maximization tendencies.

scholarly journals Transcranial direct current stimulation above the medial prefrontal cortex counteracts the effects of diminished outcome controllability during reinforcement learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gábor Csifcsák ◽  
Jorunn Bjørkøy ◽  
Sarjo Kuyateh ◽  
Haakon Reithe ◽  
Matthias Mittner
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Learned Helplessness ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Parameter Estimates ◽  
Double Blind Study ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation

Background: The arbitration between decision-making strategies is shaped by the degree of controllability over environmental events. Under low control, individuals might rely more heavily on Pavlovian bias (PB), which facilitates and inhibits actions when facing appetitive and aversive cues, respectively. More recently, extreme PB was implicated in learned helplessness (LH), which is typically induced by uncontrollable punishment. On the neural level, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was pinpointed as a region underlying both cognitive control over PB, and the pathogenesis of LH.Objective/Hypothesis: To test if high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) targeting the mPFC counteracts with the deleterious behavioral effects of low controllability over rewards/losses (“yoking”) during reinforcement learning.Methods: In a pre-registered, between-group, double-blind study (N = 103, healthy adults), we tested the interaction of low controllability and HD-tDCS on performance in a Go/NoGo task. Yoking was implemented by presenting random outcomes following responses, while matching reward/loss frequencies between control and yoked groups. HD-tDCS was delivered for 15 minutes at 2 mA using a 4x1 montage centered at position Fz.Results: HD-tDCS improved response accuracy by the end of the task only when applied simultaneously with yoking. The beneficial consequences of active stimulation in yoked participants were more pronounced in reward-predictive trials. Finally, computational modeling revealed that parameter estimates of learning rate and choice randomness were modulated by yoking and HD-tDCS in an interactive manner.Conclusions: These results highlight the potential of our HD-tDCS protocol for interfering with choice arbitration in volatile environments, resulting in more adaptive behavior.

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