The effect of transcranial direct current stimulation: a role for cortical excitation/inhibition balance?

Krause, Ben; Márquez-Ruiz, Javier; Kadosh, Roi Cohen

doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00602

Cited by 234 publications

(211 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…As noted in the Introduction, it has recently been suggested that interindividual variability in stimulation effects is at least in part related to interindividual variability in the balance between cortical excitation and inhibition (Krause et al, 2013) and that this balance modulates the effect of tDCS in a nonlinear fashion. Specifically, the relation between the excitation-inhibition balance within a brain area on the one hand, and its efficiency on the other, is suggested to follow an inverted-U shape in which optimal performance is achieved when excitation and inhibition interact in a way that permits both flexibility and stability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to these immediate effects, long-term effects of up to 1.5 hr after stimulation have been shown for stimulation durations of 9 min and longer in the motor domain (Nitsche & Paulus, 2001). Recent work furthermore suggests that stimulation effects on performance are at least in part determined by the preexisting balance between cortical excitation and inhibition (Krause & Cohen Kadosh, 2014;Krause, Márquez-Ruiz, & Cohen Kadosh, 2013). The relation between the excitationinhibition balance within a brain area and its efficiency is argued to follow an inverted-U shape in which functioning is optimal when excitation and inhibition interact in a way that permits both flexibility (i.e., plasticity, new learning) and stability (i.e., resistance to distraction, maintenance of information).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Left Dorsolateral pFC on the Attentional Blink Depend on Individual Baseline Performance

London

Slagter

2015

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

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Abstract■ Selection mechanisms that dynamically gate only relevant perceptual information for further processing and sustained representation in working memory are critical for goal-directed behavior. We examined whether this gating process can be modulated by anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over left dorsolateral pFC (DLPFC)-a region known to play a key role in working memory and conscious access. Specifically, we examined the effects of tDCS on the magnitude of the so-called "attentional blink" (AB), a deficit in identifying the second of two targets presented in rapid succession. Thirtyfour participants performed a standard AB task before (baseline), during, and after 20 min of 1-mA anodal and cathodal tDCS in two separate sessions. On the basis of previous reports linking individual differences in AB magnitude to individual differences in DLPFC activity and on suggestions that effects of tDCS depend on baseline brain activity levels, we hypothesized that anodal tDCS over left DLPFC would modulate the magnitude of the AB as a function of individual baseline AB magnitude. Indeed, individual differences' analyses revealed that anodal tDCS decreased the AB in participants with a large baseline AB but increased the AB in participants with a small baseline AB. This effect was only observed during (but not after) stimulation, was not found for cathodal tDCS, and could not be explained by regression to the mean. Notably, the effects of tDCS were not apparent at the group level, highlighting the importance of taking individual variability in performance into account when evaluating the effectiveness of tDCS. These findings support the idea that left DLPFC plays a critical role in the AB and in conscious access more generally. They are also in line with the notion that there is an optimal level of prefrontal activity for cognitive function, with both too little and too much activity hurting performance. ■

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Left Dorsolateral pFC on the Attentional Blink Depend on Individual Baseline Performance

London

Slagter

2015

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

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“…Many factors could play a role here, ranging from differences in head and brain anatomy to gender and genetics (see Li et al (2015b) and Krause and Cohen Kadosh (2014) for reviews). Differences in baseline brain state and cortical excitation/inhibition balance seem especially relevant (Krause et al 2013), as they could explain why in some studies the effects of stimulation were contingent on baseline task performance (e.g., Learmonth et al 2015;Benwell et al 2015;London and Slagter 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation as a Tool to Enhance Attention

et al. 2017

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Attention is a fundamental cognitive process-without it, we would be helplessly adrift in an overload of sensory input. There is considerable interest in techniques that can be used to enhance attention, including transcranial electrical stimulation (tES). We present an overview of 52 studies that have paired attention tasks with tES, mostly in the form of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In particular, we discuss four aspects of attention that have been most extensively targeted to date: visual search, spatial orienting (e.g., Posner cueing tasks), spatial bias (e.g., line bisection tasks), and sustained attention. Some promising results have been reported in each of these domains. However, drawing general conclusions about the efficacy of tES is at present hampered by a large diversity in study design and inconsistent findings. We highlight some pitfalls and opportunities and suggest how these may be addressed in future research aiming to use tES as a tool to enhance or test theoretical hypotheses about attention.

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“…For example, it has been proposed that an optimal balance of excitation/inhibition in different cortical regions promotes optimal cognitive functioning. Therefore, tDCS may exert different and sometimes contradictory effects in populations that vary with respect to this balance, such as those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or depression (Krause, Marquez-Ruiz, & Cohen Kadosh, 2013). Furthermore, genetic factors (Brunoni et al, 2013;Plewnia et al, 2013) and anatomical differences that impact the electric field generated by tDCS may also influence the response to stimulation.…”

Section: Baseline Performance and Other Individual Difference Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual Differences and Long-term Consequences of tDCS-augmented Cognitive Training

Katz

Buschkuehl

et al. 2017

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

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Abstract■ A great deal of interest surrounds the use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to augment cognitive training. However, effects are inconsistent across studies, and metaanalytic evidence is mixed, especially for healthy, young adults. One major source of this inconsistency is individual differences among the participants, but these differences are rarely examined in the context of combined training/stimulation studies. In addition, it is unclear how long the effects of stimulation last, even in successful interventions. Some studies make use of follow-up assessments, but very few have measured performance more than a few months after an intervention. Here, we utilized data from a previous study of tDCS and cognitive training [Au, J., Katz, B., Buschkuehl, M., Bunarjo, K., Senger, T., Zabel, C., et al. Enhancing working memory training with transcranial direct current stimulation. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 28, 1419Neuroscience, 28, -1432Neuroscience, 28, , 2016 in which participants trained on a working memory task over 7 days while receiving active or sham tDCS. A new, longer-term follow-up to assess later performance was conducted, and additional participants were added so that the sham condition was better powered. We assessed baseline cognitive ability, gender, training site, and motivation level and found significant interactions between both baseline ability and motivation with condition (active or sham) in models predicting training gain. In addition, the improvements in the active condition versus sham condition appear to be stable even as long as a year after the original intervention. ■

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The effect of transcranial direct current stimulation: a role for cortical excitation/inhibition balance?

Cited by 234 publications

References 53 publications

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Left Dorsolateral pFC on the Attentional Blink Depend on Individual Baseline Performance

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Left Dorsolateral pFC on the Attentional Blink Depend on Individual Baseline Performance

Transcranial Electrical Stimulation as a Tool to Enhance Attention

Individual Differences and Long-term Consequences of tDCS-augmented Cognitive Training

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