Facilitative Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Semantic Memory Examined by Text-Mining Analysis in Patients With Schizophrenia

Semantic memory disorganization linked to social functioning in patients with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is characterized by language-related symptoms stemming from semantic memory disorganization, which often leads to poor social functioning. Although numerous studies have attempted to elucidate the association between these symptoms and social functioning, it remains unclear how individual differences in the degree of semantic memory disorganization are linked to variations in social functioning scores. Here, we investigated this association by utilizing advanced automated scoring techniques to quantify individual-specific semantic memory parameters from the category fluency test (CFT). Specifically, the similarity between consecutive responses from the CFT was calculated using distributional representations, forming the basis for the semantic memory organization parameters. Results showed that schizophrenia patients (n = 139) exhibited semantic memory disorganization compared to healthy controls (n = 98). Generalized linear models analyzing social functioning within the schizophrenia group, as measured by the Specific Levels of Functioning Scale, revealed that higher semantic memory parameters were associated with better social functioning scores (β = 0.07, z = 4.90, p < 0.01). These findings suggest that social functioning is related to semantic memory organization, thus providing a framework for the exploration of social functioning by assessing semantic memory organization in patients with schizophrenia.

Is Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation an Effective Ergogenic Technology in Lower Extremity Sensorimotor Control for Healthy Population? A Narrative Review

Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) aims to hone motor skills and improve the quality of life. However, the non-repeatability of experimental results and the inconsistency of research conclusions have become a common phenomenon, which may be due to the imprecision of the experimental protocol, great variability of the participant characteristics within the group, and the irregularities of quantitative indicators. The aim of this study systematically summarised and analysed the effect of a-tDCS on lower extremity sensorimotor control under different experimental conditions. This narrative review was performed following the PRISMA guidelines until June 2022 in Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and Scopus. The findings of the present study demonstrated that a-tDCS can effectively improve the capabilities of lower extremity sensorimotor control, particularly in gait speed and time-on-task. Thus, a-tDCS can be used as an effective ergogenic technology to facilitate physical performance. In-depth and rigorous experimental protocol with larger sample sizes and combining brain imaging technology to explore the mechanism have a profound impact on the development of tDCS.