Transcranial direct current stimulation enhances sustained attention and working memory
Poster No:
16
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Jinxu Zhang1,2, Zhao Yan1,2, Wenchao Zhang1,2, Guanya Li1,2, Yang Hu1,2, Yufei Dong1,2, Shilong Yu1,2, Yang Liu1,2, Hailin Huang1,2, Yi Zhang1,2
Institutions:
1Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China, 2International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
First Author:
Jinxu Zhang
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Co-Author(s):
Zhao Yan
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Wenchao Zhang
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Guanya Li
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Yang Hu
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Yufei Dong
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Shilong Yu
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Yang Liu
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Hailin Huang
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Yi Zhang
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Center for Brain Imaging, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University & Engineering Research Center of Molecular and Neuro Imaging, Ministry of Education|International Joint Research Center for Advanced Medical Imaging and Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment & Xi'an Key Laboratory of Intelligent Sensing and Regulation of trans-Scale Life Information, School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University
Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China|Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
Introduction:
Long-time and high-load mental tasks are challenges for maintaining brain cognitive function, resulting in declined performance of attention and working memory (WM) (Warm, et al. 2008, Unsworth and Robison 2020). Previous studies showed that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could mimic attenuated cognitive functions in older adults, improving episodic and working memory(Hill, et al. 2016, Galli, et al. 2019, Indahlastari, et al. 2021). However, whether tDCS could alleviate the decline in attention and working memory performance in relatively longer-time cognitive tasks remains unclear. Thus, the current study aimed to test the feasibility of tDCS in improving the performance of sustained attention and working memory in healthy adults. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), an important brain region responsible for attention and executive control, was chosen as the target region due to its activation during cognitive tasks (i.e., working memory) and its deactivation is associated with declined cognitive performance(Miller and Cohen 2001, Curtis and D'Esposito 2003, Jones and Graff-Radford 2021).
Methods:
Ten healthy college students (8 males, age range = 23.5 ± 0.31) were recruited from Xidian University, and all participants provided written informed consent. The experiment lasted a total of 7 days. On the first day, participants were fitted with a 64-channel Biosemi (Biosemi, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Electroencephalogram (EEG) headcap of appropriate size and positioned according to the international 10-20 system. An ActiveTwo amplifier with active electrodes was used to record the EEG of participants during the long-time cognitive tasks at a frequency of 1024 Hz. Cognitive tasks included a working memory task (2-back, 30 min × 2) and a psychomotor vigilance task (PVT, 5 min × 3). For the next 5 days, participants wore electrical stimulation devices and completed a working memory task (2-back, 30 min) every day. The HD-tDCS (NeuStim) has five Ag–AgCl sintered ring electrodes arranged in a 4 (0.5 mA) × 1 (2 mA) montage. The central electrode was placed at F3 and the 4 return electrodes ware placed at F1, F5, AF3, FC3 for left DLPFC stimulation. Active HD-tDCS applied 2 mA direct current for a duration of 30 minutes. On the last day, participants completed the long-time cognitive tasks again and had their EEG recorded during the tasks (Figure 1). The cognitive task performance of participants was compared with paired t-test between pre- (Pre-tDCS) and post-tDCS (Post-tDCS). The weighted Phase Lag Index (wPLI), as a measure of brain functional connectivity, was employed to quantify the phase synchronization between brain regions and was also compared with paired t-tests between Pre- and Post-tDCS.
·Figure 1. Experimental design. (A) Experimental procedure; (B) The paradigm of the sustained cognitive task; (C) Arrangement of EEG electrodes; (D) Arrangement of HD-tDCS electrodes.
Results:
Participants showed improved performance in the accuracy of 2-back in the first 10 minutes (t = 2.733, p = 0.023), 20-30 minutes (t = 2.671, p = 0.026), and 40-50 minutes (t = 2.595, p = 0.029) during the long-time cognitive task, as well as a faster average response time in the 2-back task (t = -2.722, p = 0.024) and the second PVT (t = -2.648, p = 0.027) at Post-tDCS compared to Pre-tDCS. In addition, HD-tDCS significantly decreased the functional connectivity within the beta frequency range and suggests that HD-tDCS could facilitate brain resource management, enhance cognitive function, and reduce cognitive load.
·Figure 2. Functional connectivity of EEG data. (A) Function Connection Change Matrix (Post vs. Pre); (B) Changes in functional connectivity at Post-tDCS compared to Pre-tDCS.
Conclusions:
The current study demonstrated that tDCS could alleviate the decline in attention and working memory during long-time and high-load cognitive tasks by reducing brain functional connectivity within the beta frequency range.
Brain Stimulation:
Non-invasive Electrical/tDCS/tACS/tRNS 1
Higher Cognitive Functions:
Executive Function, Cognitive Control and Decision Making
Learning and Memory:
Working Memory 2
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
EEG
Keywords:
Electroencephaolography (EEG)
Memory
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Abstract Information
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