TY - GEN
T1 - Does longitudinal, anodal tDCS improve working memory? A behavioral investigation
T2 - 16th ACM International Conference on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments, PETRA 2023
AU - Shah, Darshil
AU - Rao, Akash K.
AU - Bhavsar, Arnav
AU - Chowdhury, Shubhajit Roy
AU - Chandra, Sushil
AU - Dutt, Varun
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 ACM.
PY - 2023/7/5
Y1 - 2023/7/5
N2 - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown promise for cognitive enhancement, particularly in improving working memory through single-session stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC). However, the effectiveness of multi-session tDCS protocols for working memory enhancement remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 2mA anodal tDCS protocol over the lDLPFC on the performance of the n-back task and Sternberg Working Memory Task compared to a sham tDCS control group. The study recruited 40 healthy college students who completed the n-back and Sternberg tasks for 5 sessions, with pre-and post- intervention data recorded. In each session, the tDCS group received 20 minutes of 2mA anodal tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC), while the active control group received sham stimulation. The results showed that both groups improved their task performance over time, with the greatest effects observed in the more complex task conditions. However, there were no significant differences in task performance between the tDCS and sham tDCS groups. These findings suggest that the effects of multi-session tDCS on WM performance may be limited and that daily practice may have a greater impact. Future research should investigate individual differences in tDCS response and the optimal design of multi-session tDCS protocols for cognitive enhancement.
AB - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has shown promise for cognitive enhancement, particularly in improving working memory through single-session stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC). However, the effectiveness of multi-session tDCS protocols for working memory enhancement remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a 2mA anodal tDCS protocol over the lDLPFC on the performance of the n-back task and Sternberg Working Memory Task compared to a sham tDCS control group. The study recruited 40 healthy college students who completed the n-back and Sternberg tasks for 5 sessions, with pre-and post- intervention data recorded. In each session, the tDCS group received 20 minutes of 2mA anodal tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC), while the active control group received sham stimulation. The results showed that both groups improved their task performance over time, with the greatest effects observed in the more complex task conditions. However, there were no significant differences in task performance between the tDCS and sham tDCS groups. These findings suggest that the effects of multi-session tDCS on WM performance may be limited and that daily practice may have a greater impact. Future research should investigate individual differences in tDCS response and the optimal design of multi-session tDCS protocols for cognitive enhancement.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85170394672
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85170394672#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1145/3594806.3596592
DO - 10.1145/3594806.3596592
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85170394672
T3 - ACM International Conference Proceeding Series
SP - 780
EP - 786
BT - 16th ACM International Conference on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments, PETRA 2023
PB - Association for Computing Machinery
Y2 - 5 July 2023 through 7 July 2023
ER -