A Double-Blind Study Exploring the Use of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to Potentially Enhance Mindfulness Meditation (E-Meditation)

AbstractObjective:Aphasia recovery depends on neural reorganization, which can be enhanced by speech-language therapy and noninvasive brain stimulation. Several studies suggested that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) associated with speech-language therapy may improve verbal performance evaluated by analytic tests, but none focused on spontaneous speech. We explored the effect of bihemispheric tDCS on spontaneous speech in patients with poststroke aphasia.Methods:In this multicentric controlled randomized cross-over double-blind study, we included 10 patients with poststroke aphasia (4 had aphasia >6 months and 6 with aphasia <6 months). We combined the sessions of speech-language therapy and bihemispheric tDCS (2 mA, 20 min). After three baseline speech evaluations (1/week), two different conditions were randomly consecutively proposed: active and sham tDCS over 3 weeks with 1 week of washout in between. The main outcome measure was the number of different nouns used in 2 min to answer the question “what is your job.”Results:There was no significant difference between conditions concerning the main outcome measure (p = .47) nor in the number of verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, repetitions, blank ideas, ideas, utterances with grammatical errors or paraphasias used. Other cognitive functions (verbal working memory, neglect, or verbal fluency) were not significantly improved in the tDCS group. No adverse events occurred.Conclusion:Our results differed from previous studies using tDCS to improve naming in patients with poststroke aphasia possibly due to bihemispheric stimulation, rarely used previously. The duration of the rehabilitation period was short given the linguistic complexity of the measure. This negative result should be confirmed by larger studies with ecological measures.

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

10.31234/osf.io/rbeuz ◽

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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Cerebellar, but not Motor or Parietal, High-Density Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Facilitates Motor Adaptation

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617716000345 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (9) ◽

pp. 928-936 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Michael Doppelmayr ◽

Nils Henrik Pixa ◽

Fabian Steinberg

Keyword(s):

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Motor Adaptation ◽

Double Blind Study ◽

Single Session ◽

High Definition ◽

Double Blind ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Anodal Stimulation ◽

The Right

AbstractObjectives: Although motor adaptation is a highly relevant process for both everyday life as well as rehabilitation many details of this process are still unresolved. To evaluate the contribution of primary motor (M1), parietal and cerebellar areas to motor adaptation processes transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been applied. We hypothesized that anodal stimulation of the cerebellum and the M1 improves the learning process in mirror drawing, a task involving fine grained and spatially well-organized hand movements. Methods: High definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) allows a focal stimulation to modulate brain processes. In a single-session double-blind study, we compared the effects of different anodal stimulation procedures. The groups received stimulation either at the cerebellum (CER), at right parietal (PAR), or at left M1, and a SHAM group was included. Participants (n=83) had to complete several mirror drawing tasks before, during, and after stimulation. They were instructed to re-trace a line in the shape of a pentagonal star as fast and accurate as possible. Tracing time (seconds) and accuracy (deviation in mm) have been evaluated. Results: The results indicated that cerebellar HD-tDCS can facilitate motor adaptation in a single session. The stimulation at M1 showed only a tendency to increase motor adaptation and these effects were visible only during the first part of the stimulation. Stimulating the right parietal area, relevant for visuospatial processing did not lead to increased performance. Conclusions: Our results suggest that motor adaptation relies to a great extent on cerebellar functions and HD-tDCS can speed up this process. (JINS, 2016, 22, 928–936)

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Bilateral Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Reshapes Resting-State Brain Networks: A Magnetoencephalography Assessment

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2018/2782804 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Giovanni Pellegrino ◽

Matteo Maran ◽

Cristina Turco ◽

Luca Weis ◽

Giovanni Di Pino ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Direct Current ◽

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Resting State ◽

Brain Plasticity ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Network Activity ◽

Double Blind Study ◽

Double Blind ◽

Direct Current Stimulation ◽

Alpha Beta

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can noninvasively induce brain plasticity, and it is potentially useful to treat patients affected by neurological conditions. However, little is known about tDCS effects on resting-state brain networks, which are largely involved in brain physiological functions and in diseases. In this randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind study on healthy subjects, we have assessed the effect of bilateral tDCS applied over the sensorimotor cortices on brain and network activity using a whole-head magnetoencephalography system. Bilateral tDCS, with the cathode (−) centered over C4 and the anode (+) centered over C3, reshapes brain networks in a nonfocal fashion. Compared to sham stimulation, tDCS reduces left frontal alpha, beta, and gamma power and increases global connectivity, especially in delta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequencies. The increase of connectivity is consistent across bands and widespread. These results shed new light on the effects of tDCS and may be of help in personalizing treatments in neurological disorders.

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