OBJECTIVE: There has been no modern effort to replicate, further characterize, or quantify the dramatic effects on affect described in controlled studies from the 1960s using bilateral frontal electrodes with an extra-cephalic reference in a mixed group composed primarily of mildly depressed individuals. We performed a comprehensive, quantitative assessment of the effects of bifrontal TDCS on emotion in 21 healthy subjects. METHODS: In a double-blind crossover study, we administered tests of emotional state, affect, emotional decision-making, arousal, and psychomotor functions during sham, anodal, and cathodal TDCS. RESULTS: We found no systematic effects on any measure, despite two subjects who had pronounced mood effects in the predicted direction. There were no adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: In line with some other studies, we found no consistent effects of bifrontal TDCS on measures of emotional function of psychomotor performance. SIGNIFICANCE: These results demonstrate the safety of bilateral anterior frontal TDCS with an extra-cephalic reference, but raise questions about its effectiveness as a modulator of mood and emotional cognition, at least in healthy subjects.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: There has been no modern effort to replicate, further characterize, or quantify the dramatic effects on affect described in controlled studies from the 1960s using bilateral frontal electrodes with an extra-cephalic reference in a mixed group composed primarily of mildly depressed individuals. We performed a comprehensive, quantitative assessment of the effects of bifrontal TDCS on emotion in 21 healthy subjects. METHODS: In a double-blind crossover study, we administered tests of emotional state, affect, emotional decision-making, arousal, and psychomotor functions during sham, anodal, and cathodal TDCS. RESULTS: We found no systematic effects on any measure, despite two subjects who had pronounced mood effects in the predicted direction. There were no adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: In line with some other studies, we found no consistent effects of bifrontal TDCS on measures of emotional function of psychomotor performance. SIGNIFICANCE: These results demonstrate the safety of bilateral anterior frontal TDCS with an extra-cephalic reference, but raise questions about its effectiveness as a modulator of mood and emotional cognition, at least in healthy subjects.
Authors: M S George; E M Wassermann; W A Williams; J Steppel; A Pascual-Leone; P Basser; M Hallett; R M Post Journal: J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci Date: 1996 Impact factor: 2.198
Authors: R Ferrucci; F Mameli; I Guidi; S Mrakic-Sposta; M Vergari; S Marceglia; F Cogiamanian; S Barbieri; E Scarpini; A Priori Journal: Neurology Date: 2008-06-04 Impact factor: 9.910
Authors: Franca Tecchio; Andrea Cancelli; Carlo Cottone; Giancarlo Zito; Patrizio Pasqualetti; Anna Ghazaryan; Paolo Maria Rossini; Maria Maddalena Filippi Journal: J Neurol Date: 2014-05-23 Impact factor: 4.849
Authors: Anand Mattai; Rachel Miller; Brian Weisinger; Deanna Greenstein; Jennifer Bakalar; Julia Tossell; Christopher David; Eric M Wassermann; Judith Rapoport; Nitin Gogtay Journal: Brain Stimul Date: 2011-02-01 Impact factor: 8.955