University of Belgrade Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Psychology, Serbia.
University of Belgrade Institute for Medical Research, Human Neuroscience Group, Serbia.
Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2021 Mar;179:107398. doi: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107398. Epub 2021 Feb 1.
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.
工作记忆(WM)是一种有限容量的系统或过程集合,能够临时存储和操作复杂认知过程所需的信息。WM 表现由广泛的神经网络支持,其中额顶功能连接起着关键作用。经颅直流电刺激(tDCS)作为一种有前途的工具,正在迅速崭露头角,用于了解各种皮质区域及其功能网络对认知表现的作用。在这里,我们通过三个交叉对照假刺激控制实验,全面评估了 tDCS 对 WM 的影响,在这些实验中,我们对比了刺激的作用和相互作用在额-后(即 DLPFC 与 PPC)和左-右(即偏侧化)轴上的作用,以及在线和离线协议中使用言语和空间 WM(3 -back)任务作为结果。在离线协议中,左 DLPFC 刺激既不影响言语 WM 也不影响空间 WM,而左 PPC 刺激增加了空间 WM。当离线施加于右 DLPFC 时,tDCS 改善了言语 WM 任务,并适度增强了空间 WM;而当 tDCS 施加于右 PPC 时,观察到言语 WM 上的促进作用。在线协议中,无论任务模态或刺激位置如何,tDCS 都不会调节 WM。总之,该研究没有复制以前一些研究中发现的左 DLPFC tDCS 对 WM 的影响,但证明了右 DLPFC 以及双侧 PPC 刺激的积极影响。观察到的效应在 3-back 任务的模态和施加的 tDCS 协议上有所不同。这项研究的结果表明,需要转向探索额顶网络中较少被探索的刺激部位,如 PPC,以更好地理解 tDCS 对 WM 神经调节的有用性。
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