The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive function are not always predictable based on the direction of the current and therefore remain widely debated. Contrary to the optimism of studies using transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) over the motor cortex, cognitive domain research demonstrates great ambiguity and diversity of stimulation-related effects. Here, we investigated such a controversial impact of tDCS over the posterior medial prefrontal cortex in a monetary incentive delay (MID) task with which one can study reward-based learning or reward processing a. We found that in tMID) task where subject anticipated small or big losses in different monetary contexts, cathodal stimulation suppressed plastic changes in sensory auditory P2 event-related potential and increased feedback-related negativity (FRN) implicated in reward-prediction error processing thus revealing multidirectional effect of tDCS in the same subject group performing the same experimental task. Our finding of multidirectionality of tDCS compromise the use of tES as a ready-to-use method to test brain causality in the neurocognitive events of high complexity such as decision-making.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.