Lu Hongliang, Miao Ye, Zhang Yajuan, Guo Zhihua, Wang Xianyang, Na Qianbo, Tan Xuanyi, Zhang Yan, Yan Xiaofei, Cao Yang, Hu Wendong, Huang Peng, Ma Jin
Department of Military Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Reproductive Medicine Department of Tangdu Hospital, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2025 Oct 1;46(14):e70365. doi: 10.1002/hbm.70365.
Attention is crucial for military personnel to recover from mental dysfunction and maintain superior cognitive abilities. Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) is a promising training method for enhancing attention; however, the optimal parameters for tES interventions remain unclear. This study aims to identify the most responsive cortical area and the most effective tES type for attention enhancement. In Experiment 1, 62 healthy male soldiers were examined to determine the most effective stimulation target for attention improvement after 4 (cathodal electrodes) × 1 (anodal electrodes) high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) or the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Experiment 2, involving 75 participants, focused on modulating the previously identified appropriate cortex using both high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and tDCS to ascertain the most effective tES method based on behavioral and neural activity changes. Both experiments were double-blind and sham-controlled. Executive control of attention networks was significantly improved after tDCS modulation of both the right IFG and the left DLPFC. Notably, only the modulation of the right IFG effectively decreased the Stroop effect. While both tACS and tDCS on the right IFG induced lower neural activity related to the Stroop effect, only tDCS significantly reduced the behavioral performance of the Stroop effect. Consequently, the right IFG emerges as a key targeted cortex for tES modulation in enhancing attention, with tDCS proving more effective than tACS in regulating the right IFG to improve executive control. These findings lay the groundwork for applying tES interventions in the training of attention abilities among military personnel.
注意力对于军事人员从心理功能障碍中恢复并保持卓越的认知能力至关重要。经颅电刺激（tES）是一种很有前景的用于增强注意力的训练方法；然而，tES干预的最佳参数仍不明确。本研究旨在确定对注意力增强最敏感的皮层区域以及最有效的tES类型。在实验1中，对62名健康男性士兵进行检查，以确定在对右侧额下回（IFG）或左侧背外侧前额叶皮层（DLPFC）进行4（阴极电极）×1（阳极电极）的高清经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）后，改善注意力的最有效刺激靶点。实验2有75名参与者，重点是使用高清经颅交流电刺激（tACS）和tDCS来调节先前确定的合适皮层，以根据行为和神经活动变化确定最有效的tES方法。两个实验均为双盲且有假刺激对照。对右侧IFG和左侧DLPFC进行tDCS调节后，注意力网络的执行控制能力显著提高。值得注意的是，只有对右侧IFG的调节有效降低了斯特鲁普效应。虽然对右侧IFG进行tACS和tDCS均诱导了与斯特鲁普效应相关的较低神经活动，但只有tDCS显著降低了斯特鲁普效应的行为表现。因此，右侧IFG成为tES调节增强注意力的关键目标皮层，在调节右侧IFG以改善执行控制方面，tDCS比tACS更有效。这些发现为在军事人员注意力能力训练中应用tES干预奠定了基础。
