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Effects of High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS) of the Intraparietal Sulcus and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex on Working Memory and Divided Attention
Objective: There is a need to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms subserving working memory and divided attention functioning. Recent neuroimaging studies provide evidence for anatomical co-localization of both functions. In the present study we used a functional intervention, whereby we appl...
Autores principales: | , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2019
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6331442/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30670954 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2018.00064 |
Sumario: | Objective: There is a need to elucidate the underlying neural mechanisms subserving working memory and divided attention functioning. Recent neuroimaging studies provide evidence for anatomical co-localization of both functions. In the present study we used a functional intervention, whereby we applied a novel type of focalised, non-invasive brain stimulation, High-Definition transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (HD-tDCS), to the regions subserving these processes, the left intraparietal sulcus (IPS) and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC). Our aim was therefore to modulate activity in these regions using HD-tDCS and thereby assess their relevance for working memory, divided attention and their shared sub-processes. Method: 78 participants were evenly randomized to one of three conditions in a single blind, parallel group study design. Anodal or sham HD-tDCS was applied to either the left IPS or LDLPFC while participants completed a verbal working memory task, a divided attention task, and two tasks measuring subcomponents of working memory (updating and maintenance). Results: Focalised stimulation of the IPS and LDLPFC did not significantly modulate performance compared to sham stimulation. However, moderate effect sizes were obtained for at least one HD-tDCS condition relative to sham for all tasks, warranting further research into the functional importance of the IPS in subserving these abilities. Conclusions: The current results may be useful for informing future tDCS studies for modulating working memory and divided attention functioning. |
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