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Vergallito A, Gramano B, La Monica K, Giuliani L, Palumbo D, Gesi C, Torriero S. Combining transcranial magnetic stimulation with training to improve social cognition impairment in schizophrenia: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1308971. [PMID: 38445059 PMCID: PMC10912559 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1308971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe, chronic mental disorder that profoundly impacts patients' everyday lives. The illness's core features include positive and negative symptoms and cognitive impairments. In particular, deficits in the social cognition domain showed a tighter connection to patients' everyday functioning than the other symptoms. Social remediation interventions have been developed, providing heterogeneous results considering the possibility of generalizing the acquired improvements in patients' daily activities. In this pilot randomized controlled trial, we investigated the feasibility of combining fifteen daily cognitive and social training sessions with non-invasive brain stimulation to boost the effectiveness of the two interventions. We delivered intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Twenty-one patients were randomized into four groups, varying for the assigned stimulation condition (real vs. sham iTBS) and the type of cognitive intervention (training vs. no training). Clinical symptoms and social cognition tests were administered at five time points, i.e., before and after the treatment, and at three follow-ups at one, three, and six months after the treatments' end. Preliminary data show a trend in improving the competence in managing emotion in participants performing the training. Conversely, no differences were found in pre and post-treatment scores for emotion recognition, theory of mind, and attribution of intentions scores. The iTBS intervention did not induce additional effects on individuals' performance. The methodological approach's novelty and limitations of the present study are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bianca Gramano
- Department of Mental Health and Addictions, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Kevin La Monica
- Department of Mental Health and Addictions, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Luigi Giuliani
- Department of Psychiatry, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Davide Palumbo
- Department of Psychiatry, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Camilla Gesi
- Department of Mental Health and Addictions, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Torriero
- Department of Mental Health and Addictions, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy
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Bianco V, Arrigoni E, Di Russo F, Romero Lauro LJ, Pisoni A. Top-down reconfiguration of SMA cortical connectivity during action preparation. iScience 2023; 26:107430. [PMID: 37575197 PMCID: PMC10415800 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The Bereitschaftspotential (BP), a scalp potential recorded in humans during action preparation, is characterized by a slow amplitude increase over fronto-central regions as action execution approaches. We recorded TMS evoked-potentials (TEP) stimulating the supplementary motor area (SMA) at different time-points during a Go/No-Go task to assess whether and how cortical excitability and connectivity of this region change as the BP increases. When approaching BP peak, left SMA reactivity resulted greater. Concurrently, its effective connectivity increased with the left occipital areas, while it decreased with the right inferior frontal gyrus, indicating a fast reconfiguration of cortical networks during the preparation of the forthcoming action. Functional connectivity patterns supported these findings, suggesting a critical role of frequency-specific inter-areal interactions in implementing top-down mechanisms in the sensorimotor system prior to action. These findings reveal that BP time-course reflects quantitative and qualitative changes in SMA communication patterns that shape mechanisms involved in motor readiness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bianco
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Eleonora Arrigoni
- PhD Program in Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Via Cadore 48, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Francesco Di Russo
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Piazza Lauro De Bosis, 15, 00135 Rome, Italy
| | - Leonor Josefina Romero Lauro
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
- NeuroMi, Milan Centre for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Pisoni
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
- NeuroMi, Milan Centre for Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
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3
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Del Mauro L, Vergallito A, Gattavara G, Juris L, Gallucci A, Vedani A, Cappelletti L, Farneti PM, Romero Lauro LJ. Betting on Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation to Treat Gambling Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Brain Sci 2023; 13:698. [PMID: 37190663 PMCID: PMC10136786 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13040698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Gambling disorder (GD) is a behavioral addiction that severely impacts individuals' functioning, leading to high socioeconomic costs. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NiBS) has received attention for treating psychiatric and neurological conditions in recent decades, but there is no recommendation for its use for GD. Therefore, this study aimed to systematically review and analyze the available literature to determine the effectiveness of NiBS in treating GD. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we screened four electronic databases up to July 2022 and selected relevant English-written original articles. We included ten papers in the systematic review and seven in the meta-analysis. As only two studies employed a sham-controlled design, the pre-post standardized mean change (SMCC) was computed as effect size only for real stimulation. The results showed a significant effect of NiBS in reducing craving scores (SMCC = -0.69; 95% CI = [-1.2, -0.2], p = 0.010). Moreover, considering the GD's frequent comorbidity with mood disorders, we ran an exploratory analysis of the effects of NiBS on depressive symptoms, which showed significant decreases in post-treatment scores (SMCC = -0.71; 95% CI = [-1.1, -0.3], p < 0.001). These results provide initial evidence for developing NiBS as a feasible therapy for GD symptoms but further comprehensive research is needed to validate these findings. The limitations of the available literature are critically discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilia Del Mauro
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
- Fondazione Eris Onlus, 20134 Milano, Italy
| | - Alessandra Vergallito
- Department of Psychology & Neuromi, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Gaia Gattavara
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | | | - Alessia Gallucci
- Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20900 Monza, Italy
| | - Anna Vedani
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy
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Vergallito A, Feroldi S, Pisoni A, Romero Lauro LJ. Inter-Individual Variability in tDCS Effects: A Narrative Review on the Contribution of Stable, Variable, and Contextual Factors. Brain Sci 2022; 12:522. [PMID: 35624908 PMCID: PMC9139102 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12050522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to its safety, portability, and cheapness, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) use largely increased in research and clinical settings. Despite tDCS's wide application, previous works pointed out inconsistent and low replicable results, sometimes leading to extreme conclusions about tDCS's ineffectiveness in modulating behavioral performance across cognitive domains. Traditionally, this variability has been linked to significant differences in the stimulation protocols across studies, including stimulation parameters, target regions, and electrodes montage. Here, we reviewed and discussed evidence of heterogeneity emerging at the intra-study level, namely inter-individual differences that may influence the response to tDCS within each study. This source of variability has been largely neglected by literature, being results mainly analyzed at the group level. Previous research, however, highlighted that only a half-or less-of studies' participants could be classified as responders, being affected by tDCS in the expected direction. Stable and variable inter-individual differences, such as morphological and genetic features vs. hormonal/exogenous substance consumption, partially account for this heterogeneity. Moreover, variability comes from experiments' contextual elements, such as participants' engagement/baseline capacity and individual task difficulty. We concluded that increasing knowledge on inter-dividual differences rather than undermining tDCS effectiveness could enhance protocols' efficiency and reproducibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Vergallito
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, University of Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy; (A.P.); (L.J.R.L.)
| | - Sarah Feroldi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20854 Monza, Italy;
| | - Alberto Pisoni
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, University of Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy; (A.P.); (L.J.R.L.)
| | - Leonor J. Romero Lauro
- Department of Psychology & NeuroMi, University of Milano Bicocca, 20126 Milano, Italy; (A.P.); (L.J.R.L.)
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Mattavelli G, Lo Presti S, Tornaghi D, Canessa N. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex modulates decision-making and executive control. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:1565-1576. [PMID: 35102442 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02456-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging evidence highlights the translational implications of targeting the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), i.e. a key node of the networks underlying conflict monitoring and decision-making, in brain stimulation treatments with clinical or rehabilitative purposes. While the optimized modelling of "high-definition" current flows between multiple anode-cathode pairs might, in principle, allow to stimulate an otherwise challenging target, sensitive benchmark metrics of dACC neuromodulation are required to assess the effectiveness of this approach. On this basis, we aimed to assess the modulatory effect of anodal and cathodal high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) of the dACC on different facets of executive control and decision-making in healthy young individuals. A combined modelling/targeting procedure provided the optimal montage for the maximum intensity of dACC stimulation with six small "high-definition" electrodes delivering anodal, cathodal or sham HD-tDCS for 20 min in a within-subject design with three separate sessions. Following stimulation, participants performed Flanker and gambling tasks unveiling individual differences in executive control and both loss- and risk-aversion in decision-making, respectively. Compared to both anodal and sham conditions, cathodal dACC stimulation significantly affected task performance by increasing control over the Flanker conflict effect, and both loss and risk-aversion in decision-making. By confirming the feasibility and effectiveness of dACC stimulation with HD-tDCS, these findings highlight the implications of modelling and targeting procedures for neuromodulation in clinical research, whereby innovative protocols might serve as treatment addressing dysfunctional dACC activity, or combined with cognitive training, to enhance higher-order executive functioning in different neuropsychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Mattavelli
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, 27100, Pavia, Italy.,Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Maugeri 4, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Sara Lo Presti
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Diana Tornaghi
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Nicola Canessa
- IUSS Cognitive Neuroscience (ICoN) Center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, 27100, Pavia, Italy. .,Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of Pavia Institute, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Via Maugeri 4, 27100, Pavia, Italy.
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Vergallito A, Gallucci A, Pisoni A, Punzi M, Caselli G, Ruggiero GM, Sassaroli S, Romero Lauro LJ. Effectiveness of noninvasive brain stimulation in the treatment of anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis of sham or behaviour-controlled studies. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2021; 46:E592-E614. [PMID: 34753789 PMCID: PMC8580831 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.210050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The possibility of using noninvasive brain stimulation to treat mental disorders has received considerable attention recently. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are considered to be effective treatments for depressive symptoms. However, no treatment recommendation is currently available for anxiety disorders, suggesting that evidence is still limited. We conducted a systematic review of the literature and a quantitative analysis of the effectiveness of rTMS and tDCS in the treatment of anxiety disorders. METHODS Following PRISMA guidelines, we screened 3 electronic databases up to the end of February 2020 for English-language, peer-reviewed articles that included the following: a clinical sample of patients with an anxiety disorder, the use of a noninvasive brain stimulation technique, the inclusion of a control condition, and pre/post scores on a validated questionnaire that measured symptoms of anxiety. RESULTS Eleven papers met the inclusion criteria, comprising 154 participants assigned to a stimulation condition and 164 to a sham or control group. We calculated Hedge's g for scores on disorder-specific and general anxiety questionnaires before and after treatment to determine effect size, and we conducted 2 independent random-effects meta-analyses. Considering the well-known comorbidity between anxiety and depression, we ran a third meta-analysis analyzing outcomes for depression scores. Results showed a significant effect of noninvasive brain stimulation in reducing scores on disorder-specific and general anxiety questionnaires, as well as depressive symptoms, in the real stimulation compared to the control condition. LIMITATIONS Few studies met the inclusion criteria; more evidence is needed to strengthen conclusions about the effectiveness of noninvasive brain stimulation in the treatment of anxiety disorders. CONCLUSION Our findings showed that noninvasive brain stimulation reduced anxiety and depression scores compared to control conditions, suggesting that it can alleviate clinical symptoms in patients with anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alberto Pisoni
- From the Department of Psychology, University of Milano Bicocca, Milan, Italy (Vergallito, Pisoni, Punzi, Romero Lauro); the Neuromi, Milan, Italy (Vergallito, Gallucci, Pisoni, Romero Lauro); the Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy (Gallucci); the Studi Cognitivi, Milan, Italy (Caselli, Ruggiero, Sassaroli); and the Faculty of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University, Milan, Italy (Caseli, Ruggiero, Sassaroli)
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Non-invasive cortical stimulation: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF NEUROBIOLOGY 2021; 159:1-22. [PMID: 34446242 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2021.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a re-emerging non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has been used in animal models and human trials aimed to elucidate neurophysiology and behavior interactions. It delivers subthreshold electrical currents to neuronal populations that shift resting membrane potential either toward depolarization or hyperpolarization, depending on stimulation parameters and neuronal orientation in relation to the induced electric field (EF). Although the resulting cerebral EFs are not strong enough to induce action potentials, spontaneous neuronal firing in response to inputs from other brain areas is influenced by tDCS. Additionally, tDCS induces plastic synaptic changes resembling long-term potentiation (LTP) or long-term depression (LTD) that outlast the period of stimulation. Such properties place tDCS as an appealing intervention for the treatment of diverse neuropsychiatric disorders. Although findings of clinical trials are preliminary for most studied conditions, there is already convincing evidence regarding its efficacy for unipolar depression. The main advantages of tDCS are the absence of serious or intolerable side effects and the portability of the devices, which might lead in the future to home-use applications and improved patient care. This chapter provides an up-to-date overview of a number tDCS relevant topics such as mechanisms of action, contemporary applications and safety. Furthermore, we propose ways to further develop tDCS research.
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Hassanzahraee M, Nitsche MA, Zoghi M, Jaberzadeh S. Determination of anodal tDCS intensity threshold for reversal of corticospinal excitability: an investigation for induction of counter-regulatory mechanisms. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16108. [PMID: 32999375 PMCID: PMC7527486 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72909-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation is applied to modulate activity, and excitability of the brain. Basically, LTP-like plasticity is induced when anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) is applied over the primary motor cortex. However, it has been shown that specific parameters of a-tDCS can induce a plasticity reversal. We aimed to systematically assess the intensity threshold for reversal of the direction of plasticity induced by a-tDCS, monitored by corticospinal excitability (CSE), and explored mechanisms regulating this reversal. Fifteen healthy participants received a-tDCS in pseudo-random order for 26 min with four intensities of 0.3, 0.7, 1, and 1.5 mA. To measure CSE changes, single-pulse TMS was applied over the left M1, and motor evoked potentials of a contralateral hand muscle were recorded prior to a-tDCS, immediately and 30-min post-intervention. Paired-pulse TMS was used to evaluate intracortical excitation and inhibition. CSE increased significantly following a-tDCS with an intensity of 0.7 mA; however, the expected effect decreased and even reversed at intensities of 1 and 1.5 mA. ICF was significantly increased while SICI and LICI decreased at 0.7 mA. On the other hand, a significant decrease of ICF, but SICI and LICI enhancement was observed at intensities of 1, and 1.5 mA. The present findings show an intensity threshold of ≥ 1 mA for 26 min a-tDCS to reverse LTP- into LTD-like plasticity. It is suggested that increasing stimulation intensity, with constant stimulation duration, activates counter-regulatory mechanisms to prevent excessive brain excitation. Therefore, stimulation intensity and plasticity induced by a-tDCS might non-linearly correlate in scenarios with prolonged stimulation duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Hassanzahraee
- Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation and Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
| | - Michael A Nitsche
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany.,Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Maryam Zoghi
- Department of Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Sport, School of Allied Health, Discipline of Physiotherapy, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Shapour Jaberzadeh
- Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation and Neuroplasticity Laboratory, Department of Physiotherapy, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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Vergallito A, Varoli E, Giustolisi B, Cecchetto C, Del Mauro L, Romero Lauro LJ. Mind the stimulation site: Enhancing and diminishing sentence comprehension with anodal tDCS. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2020; 204:104757. [PMID: 32036293 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 11/19/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In a previous sham-controlled study, we showed the feasibility of increasing language comprehension in healthy participants by applying anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (atDCS) over the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG). In the present work, we present a follow-up experiment targeting with atDCS the left inferior parietal cortex (LIPC) while participants performed the same auditory comprehension task used in our previous experiment. Both neural sites (LIFG and LIPC) are crucial hubs of Baddeley's model of verbal short-term memory (vSTM). AtDCS over LIPC decreased accuracy as compared to sham and LIFG stimulation, suggesting the involvement of this area in sentence comprehension. Crucially, our results highlighted that applying tDCS over different hubs of the same neural network can lead to opposite behavioural results, with relevant implications from a clinical perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Vergallito
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; Milan Center for Neuroscience, Neuromi, Italy
| | - Erica Varoli
- Milan Center for Neuroscience, Neuromi, Italy; Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy; Psychology Service, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Services, Mediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IRCCS-ISMETT), Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Carlo Cecchetto
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; Université de Paris 8 & CNRS - UMR 7023 Structures Formelles du Langage, Paris, France
| | - Lilia Del Mauro
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy
| | - Leonor J Romero Lauro
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; Milan Center for Neuroscience, Neuromi, Italy.
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Hartmann M, Singer S, Savic B, Müri RM, Mast FW. Anodal High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over the Posterior Parietal Cortex Modulates Approximate Mental Arithmetic. J Cogn Neurosci 2019; 32:862-876. [PMID: 31851594 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The representation and processing of numerosity is a crucial cognitive capacity. Converging evidence points to the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) as primary "number" region. However, the exact role of the left and right PPC for different types of numerical and arithmetic tasks remains controversial. In this study, we used high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to further investigate the causal involvement of the PPC during approximative, nonsymbolic mental arithmetic. Eighteen healthy participants received three sessions of anodal HD-tDCS at 1-week intervals in counterbalanced order: left PPC, right PPC, and sham stimulation. Results showed an improved performance during online parietal HD-tDCS (vs. sham) for subtraction problems. Specifically, the general tendency to underestimate the results of subtraction problems (i.e., the "operational momentum effect") was reduced during online parietal HD-tDCS. There was no difference between left and right stimulation. This study thus provides new evidence for a causal involvement of the left and right PPC for approximate nonsymbolic arithmetic and advances the promising use of noninvasive brain stimulation in increasing cognitive functions.
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Lo Gerfo E, Gallucci A, Morese R, Vergallito A, Ottone S, Ponzano F, Locatelli G, Bosco F, Romero Lauro LJ. The role of ventromedial prefrontal cortex and temporo-parietal junction in third-party punishment behavior. Neuroimage 2019; 200:501-510. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.06.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Savic B, Müri R, Meier B. High Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Does Not Modulate Implicit Task Sequence Learning and Consolidation. Neuroscience 2019; 414:77-87. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Hill AT, Rogasch NC, Fitzgerald PB, Hoy KE. Impact of concurrent task performance on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)-Induced changes in cortical physiology and working memory. Cortex 2019; 113:37-57. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.11.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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The Cerebellum Modulates Attention Network Functioning: Evidence from a Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Attention Network Test Study. THE CEREBELLUM 2019; 18:457-468. [DOI: 10.1007/s12311-019-01014-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Kelley NJ, Gallucci A, Riva P, Romero Lauro LJ, Schmeichel BJ. Stimulating Self-Regulation: A Review of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Studies of Goal-Directed Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 12:337. [PMID: 30713492 PMCID: PMC6345691 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 12/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-regulation enables individuals to guide their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a purposeful manner. Self-regulation is thus crucial for goal-directed behavior and contributes to many consequential outcomes in life including physical health, psychological well-being, ethical decision making, and strong interpersonal relationships. Neuroscientific research has revealed that the prefrontal cortex plays a central role in self-regulation, specifically by exerting top-down control over subcortical regions involved in reward (e.g., striatum) and emotion (e.g., amygdala). To orient readers, we first offer a methodological overview of tDCS and then review experiments using non-invasive brain stimulation techniques (especially transcranial direct current stimulation) to target prefrontal brain regions implicated in self-regulation. We focus on brain stimulation studies of self-regulatory behavior across three broad domains of response: persistence, delay behavior, and impulse control. We suggest that stimulating the prefrontal cortex promotes successful self-regulation by altering the balance in activity between the prefrontal cortex and subcortical regions involved in emotion and reward processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J. Kelley
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Alessia Gallucci
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Riva
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Brandon J. Schmeichel
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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Varoli E, Pisoni A, Mattavelli GC, Vergallito A, Gallucci A, Mauro LD, Rosanova M, Bolognini N, Vallar G, Romero Lauro LJ. Tracking the Effect of Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Cortical Excitability and Connectivity by Means of TMS-EEG. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:319. [PMID: 29867330 PMCID: PMC5962888 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is increasingly used in both research and therapeutic settings, but its precise mechanisms remain largely unknown. At a neuronal level, tDCS modulates cortical excitability by shifting the resting membrane potential in a polarity-dependent way: anodal stimulation increases the spontaneous firing rate, while cathodal decreases it. However, the neurophysiological underpinnings of anodal/cathodal tDCS seem to be different, as well as their behavioral effect, in particular when high order areas are involved, compared to when motor or sensory brain areas are targeted. Previously, we investigated the effect of anodal tDCS on cortical excitability, by means of a combination of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Electroencephalography (EEG). Results showed a diffuse rise of cortical excitability in a bilateral fronto-parietal network. In the present study, we tested, with the same paradigm, the effect of cathodal tDCS. Single pulse TMS was delivered over the left posterior parietal cortex (PPC), before, during, and after 10 min of cathodal or sham tDCS over the right PPC, while recording HD-EEG. Indexes of global and local cortical excitability were obtained both at sensors and cortical sources level. At sensors, global and local mean field power (GMFP and LMFP) were computed for three temporal windows (0-50, 50-100, and 100-150 ms), on all channels (GMFP), and in four different clusters of electrodes (LMFP, left and right, in frontal and parietal regions). After source reconstruction, Significant Current Density was computed at the global level, and for four Broadmann's areas (left/right BA 6 and 7). Both sensors and cortical sources results converge in showing no differences during and after cathodal tDCS compared to pre-stimulation sessions, both at global and local level. The same holds for sham tDCS. These data highlight an asymmetric impact of anodal and cathodal stimulation on cortical excitability, with a diffuse effect of anodal and no effect of cathodal tDCS over the parietal cortex. These results are consistent with the current literature: while anodal-excitatory and cathodal-inhibitory effects are well-established in the sensory and motor domains, both at physiological and behavioral levels, results for cathodal stimulation are more controversial for modulation of exitability of higher order areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica Varoli
- Ph.D. Program in Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.,NeuroMi - Milan Center of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy
| | - Alberto Pisoni
- NeuroMi - Milan Center of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia C Mattavelli
- NeuroMi - Milan Center of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessandra Vergallito
- NeuroMi - Milan Center of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Alessia Gallucci
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Lilia D Mauro
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Mario Rosanova
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences "L. Sacco", University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Fondazione Europea per la Ricerca Biomedica Onlus, Milan, Italy
| | - Nadia Bolognini
- NeuroMi - Milan Center of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Laboratory of Neuropsychology, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Vallar
- NeuroMi - Milan Center of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,Laboratory of Neuropsychology, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico, Milan, Italy
| | - Leonor J Romero Lauro
- NeuroMi - Milan Center of Neuroscience, Milan, Italy.,Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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17
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Non-invasive brain stimulation for food cravings, consumption, and disorders of eating: A review of methods, findings and controversies. Appetite 2018; 124:78-88. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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18
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Giustolisi B, Vergallito A, Cecchetto C, Varoli E, Romero Lauro LJ. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over left inferior frontal gyrus enhances sentence comprehension. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 176:36-41. [PMID: 29175380 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2017.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/15/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We tested the possibility of enhancing natural language comprehension through the application of anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) over the left inferior frontal gyrus, a key region for verbal short-term memory and language comprehension. We designed a between subjects sham- and task-controlled study. During tDCS stimulation, participants performed a sentence to picture matching task in which targets were sentences with different load on short-term memory. Regardless of load on short-term memory, the Anodal group performed significantly better than the Sham group, thus providing evidence that a-tDCS over LIFG enhances natural language comprehension. To our knowledge, we apply for the first time tDCS to boost sentence comprehension. This result is of special interest also from a clinical perspective: applying a-tDCS in patients manifesting problems at the sentence level due to brain damage could enhance the effects of behavioral rehabilitation procedures aimed to improve language comprehension.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Carlo Cecchetto
- Université de Paris 8 & CNRS - UMR 7023 Structures Formelles du Langage, France; Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Italy
| | - Erica Varoli
- Dipartimento di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Italy
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19
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Pisoni A, Mattavelli G, Papagno C, Rosanova M, Casali AG, Romero Lauro LJ. Cognitive Enhancement Induced by Anodal tDCS Drives Circuit-Specific Cortical Plasticity. Cereb Cortex 2017; 28:1132-1140. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Pisoni
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
- NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy
| | - Giulia Mattavelli
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
- NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy
| | - Costanza Papagno
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
- NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy
- CeRiN - Centro di Riabilitazione Neurocognitiva, Università degli Studi di Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Mario Rosanova
- Department of Clinical Sciences, “Luigi Sacco”, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Fondazione Europea di Ricerca Biomedica, FERB Onlus, Cernusco sul Naviglio, Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Adenauer G Casali
- Institute of Science and Technology, Federal University of São Paulo, São José dos Campos, Brazil
| | - Leonor J Romero Lauro
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
- NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy
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20
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Timing of emotion representation in right and left occipital region: Evidence from combined TMS-EEG. Brain Cogn 2016; 106:13-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2016.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 04/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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