Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Improves Reward Processing in Children With ADHD

2020 ◽  
pp. 108705472092309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Nejati ◽  
Azin Sarraj Khorrami ◽  
Michael A. Nitsche
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Delay Discounting ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Risky Decision ◽  
Stimulation Condition ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
Cathodal Tdcs ◽  
Left Dlpfc

Objective: Individuals with ADHD have deficits in reward processing and related cognitive tasks such as delay discounting and risky decision-making. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) are two distinct cortical areas that are involved in reward processing. Methods: Twenty children with ADHD received transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in three separate sessions with one of three montages each, including anodal/cathodal tDCS over the left dlPFC and right vmPFC respectively, the reversed montage, and a sham stimulation condition. During stimulation, in each session, participants performed the balloon analogue risk taking and chocolate delay discounting tasks. Results: A significant effect of stimulation condition on emotional processing was observed. Specifically, anodal tDCS over the right vmPFC, coupled with cathodal tDCS over the left dlPFC, reduced risky decision-making and delay discounting. Conclusion: These results imply that the left dlPFC and right vmPFC are involved in reward processing in children with ADHD. This finding is discussed in the light of the delay aversion theory of ADHD.

scholarly journals The child brain computes and utilizes internalized maternal choices

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Lark Lim ◽  
J. Bradley C. Cherry ◽  
Ann M. Davis ◽  
S. N. Balakrishnan ◽  
Oh-Ryeong Ha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Left Dlpfc ◽  
Making Choices ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

Abstract As children grow, they gradually learn how to make decisions independently. However, decisions like choosing healthy but less-tasty foods can be challenging for children whose self-regulation and executive cognitive functions are still maturing. We propose a computational decision-making process in which children estimate their mother’s choices for them as well as their individual food preferences. By employing functional magnetic resonance imaging during real food choices, we find that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) encodes children’s own preferences and the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) encodes the projected mom’s choices for them at the time of children’s choice. Also, the left dlPFC region shows an inhibitory functional connectivity with the vmPFC at the time of children’s own choice. Our study suggests that in part, children utilize their perceived caregiver’s choices when making choices for themselves, which may serve as an external regulator of decision-making, leading to optimal healthy decisions.

scholarly journals Differential effects of insular and ventromedial prefrontal cortex lesions on risky decision-making

Brain ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 131 (5) ◽  
pp. 1311-1322 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Clark ◽  
A. Bechara ◽  
H. Damasio ◽  
M. R. F. Aitken ◽  
B. J. Sahakian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Risky Decision Making ◽  
Risky Decision ◽  
Differential Effects

scholarly journals History of Suicide Attempt Is Associated with Reduced Medial Prefrontal Cortex Activity during Emotional Decision-Making among Men with Schizophrenia: An Exploratory fMRI Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Potvin ◽  
Andràs Tikàsz ◽  
Stéphane Richard-Devantoy ◽  
Ovidiu Lungu ◽  
Alexandre Dumais
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Suicide Attempt ◽  
Medial Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Suicidal Attempt ◽  
Risky Decision ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
History Of ◽  
Brain Reward ◽  
Suicidal Ideas

Despite the high prevalence of suicidal ideas/attempts in schizophrenia, only a handful of neuroimaging studies have examined the neurobiological differences associated with suicide risk in this population. The main objective of the current exploratory study is to examine the neurofunctional correlates associated with a history of suicide attempt in schizophrenia, using a risky decision-making task, in order to show alterations in brain reward regions in this population. Thirty-two male outpatients with schizophrenia were recruited: 13 patients with (SCZ + S) and 19 without a history of suicidal attempt (SCZ − S). Twenty-one healthy men with no history of mental disorders or suicidal attempt/idea were also recruited. Participants were scanned using fMRI while performing the Balloon Analogue Risk Task. A rapid event-related fMRI paradigm was used, separating decision and outcome events, and the explosion probabilities were included as parametric modulators. The most important finding of this study is that SCZ + S patients had reduced activations of the medial prefrontal cortex during the success outcome event (with parametric modulation), relative to both SCZ − S patients and controls, as illustrated by a spatial conjunction analysis. These exploratory results suggest that a history of suicidal attempt in schizophrenia is associated with blunted brain reward activity during emotional decision-making.

scholarly journals Verbal Fluency in Mild Alzheimer’s Disease: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Daniela Smirni ◽  
Massimiliano Oliveri ◽  
Eliana Misuraca ◽  
Angela Catania ◽  
Laura Vernuccio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Cathodal Tdcs ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right

Background: Recent studies showed that in healthy controls and in aphasic patients, inhibitory trains of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the right prefrontal cortex can improve phonemic fluency performance, while anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left prefrontal cortex can improve performance in naming and semantic fluency tasks. Objective: This study aimed at investigating the effects of cathodal tDCS over the left or the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on verbal fluency tasks (VFT) in patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: Forty mild AD patients participated in the study (mean age 73.17±5.61 years). All participants underwent cognitive baseline tasks and a VFT twice. Twenty patients randomly received cathodal tDCS to the left or the right DLPFC, and twenty patients were assigned to a control group in which only the two measures of VFT were taken, without the administration of the tDCS. Results: A significant improvement of performance on the VFT in AD patients was present after tDCS over the right DLPFC (p = 0.001). Instead, no difference was detected between the two VFTs sessions after tDCS over the left DLPFC (p = 0.42). Furthermore, these results cannot be related to task learning effects, since no significant difference was found between the two VFT sessions in the control group (p = 0.73). Conclusion: These data suggest that tDCS over DLPFC can improve VFT performance in AD patients. A hypothesis is that tDCS enhances adaptive patterns of brain activity between functionally connected areas.

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

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 2382-2393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel E. London ◽  
Heleen A. Slagter
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Anodal Tdcs ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Cathodal Tdcs ◽  
Left Dlpfc

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. Thirty-four 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.

scholarly journals Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) Consequences on Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Reducing the Symptoms of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sina Shafiezadeh ◽  
◽  
Atiyeh Mohammadshirazi ◽  
Mansoureh Eshghi ◽  
Zahra Dokhaei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Sham Group ◽  
P Value ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Left Dlpfc ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
The Right

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of the most prevalent debilitating mental disorders that has a general rate of 2 to 3 percent prevalence. Previous studies indicated that there are abnormalities in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of OCD patients, so we decided to use transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to decline the symptoms of these patients. A total number of 24 OCD patients participated in this study with the hope of improvement after the application of tDCS. The subjects were randomly assigned into three groups as Sham, Right DLPFC, and Left DLPFC tDCS, and tDCS were applied for 5 consecutive days as in each session. The protocol was 2 mA current flow for two 15 minutes lasting period following by a 10 minutes rest in between (every session lasts for 40 minutes). Subsequently, the changes in obsessive-compulsive level and depression, anxiety, and stress followed that were evaluated via Yale-Brown and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21) tests by comparing the results of pre-experiment and post-experiment. Ultimately, the results of the Yale-Brown test which evaluates OCD symptoms in Right DLPFC shows significant changes that have occurred after intervention with tDCS (average difference of the Right DLPFC with sham group -6.18 and P-value ≤ 0.01, and for the Left DLPFC with sham group 3.155 and P-value ≥ 0.05). The average DASS scores of pre and post-experiment in the Left DLPFC were -4.63, in the Right DLPFC was -6.62, and in the sham group was -5.13 subsequently. Hereupon, this study demonstrates that tDCS may cause improvements in OCD symptoms.

scholarly journals A neuronal mechanism underlying decision-making deficits during hyperdopaminergic states

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeroen P.H. Verharen ◽  
Johannes W. de Jong ◽  
Theresia J.M. Roelofs ◽  
Christiaan F.M. Huffels ◽  
Ruud van Zessen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Nucleus Accumbens ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Risky Decision ◽  
Reward Prediction ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
Mesencephalic Dopamine

AbstractHyperdopaminergic states in mental disorders are associated with disruptive deficits in decision-making. However, the precise contribution of topographically distinct mesencephalic dopamine pathways to decision-making processes remains elusive. Here we show, using a multidisciplinary approach, how hyperactivity of ascending projections from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) contributes to faulty decision-making in rats. Activation of the VTA-nucleus accumbens pathway leads to insensitivity to loss and punishment due to impaired processing of negative reward prediction errors. In contrast, activation of the VTA-prefrontal cortex pathway promotes risky decision-making without affecting the ability to choose the economically most beneficial option. Together, these findings show how malfunction of ascending VTA projections affects value-based decision-making, providing a mechanistic understanding of the reckless behaviors seen in substance abuse, mania, and after dopamine replacement therapy in Parkinson’s disease.

scholarly journals Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over vmPFC modulates interactions between reward and emotion in delay discounting

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie L. Manuel ◽  
Nicholas W. G. Murray ◽  
Olivier Piguet
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Delay Discounting ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Cathodal Tdcs ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Stimulation Of

AbstractDelay discounting requires computing trade-offs between immediate-small rewards and later-larger rewards. Negative and positive emotions shift decisions towards more or less impulsive responses, respectively. Models have conceptualized this trade-off by describing an interplay between “emotional” and “rational” processes, with the former involved during immediate choices and relying on the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), and the latter involved in long-term choices and relying on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Whether stimulation of the vmPFC modulates emotion-induced delay discounting remains unclear. We applied tDCS over the vmPFC in 20 healthy individuals during a delay discounting task following an emotional (positive, negative) or neutral induction. Our results showed that cathodal tDCS increased impulsivity after positive emotions in high impulsivity trials. For low impulsivity trials, anodal tDCS decreased impulsivity following neutral induction compared with emotional induction. Our findings demonstrate that the vmPFC integrates reward and emotion most prominently in situations of increased impulsivity, whereas when higher cognitive control is required the vmPFC appears to be less engaged, possibly due to recruitment of the dlPFC. Understanding how stimulation and emotion influence decision-making at the behavioural and neural levels holds promise to develop interventions to reduce impulsivity.

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