Vanessa Nieratschker1, Christoph Kiefer1, Katrin Giel2, Rejko Krüger3, Christian Plewnia4. 1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. 2. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Osianderstrasse 5, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. 3. Clinical and Experimental Neuroscience, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of Luxembourg and Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, Campus Belval, 7, Avenue des Hauts-Forneaux, L-4362 Esch- sur-Alzette, Luxembourg; Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Straße 3, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. 4. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Calwerstrasse 14, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. Electronic address: christian.plewnia@uni-tuebingen.de.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is increasingly discussed as a new option to support the cognitive rehabilitation in neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the therapeutic impact of tDCS is limited by high inter-individual variability. Genetic factors most likely contribute to this variability by modulating the effects of tDCS. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the influence of the COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism on cathodal tDCS effects on executive functioning. METHODS: Cathodal tDCS was applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) during the performance of a parametric Go/No-Go test. RESULTS: We demonstrate an impairing effect of cathodal tDCS to the dlPFC on response inhibition. This effect was only found in individuals homozygous for the Val-allele of the COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism. No effects of stimulation on executive functions in Met-allele carriers were detected. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that i) cathodal, excitability reducing tDCS, interferes with inhibitory cognitive control, ii) the left dlPFC is critically involved in the neuronal network underlying the control of response inhibition, and iii) the COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism modulates the impact of cathodal tDCS on inhibitory control. Together with our previous finding that anodal tDCS selectively impairs set-shifting abilities in COMT Met/Met homozygous individuals, these results indicate that genetic factors modulate effects of tDCS on cognitive performance. Therefore, future tDCS research should account for genetic variability in the design and analysis of neurocognitive as well as therapeutic applications to reduce the variability of results and facilitate individualized neurostimulation approaches.
BACKGROUND: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is increasingly discussed as a new option to support the cognitive rehabilitation in neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the therapeutic impact of tDCS is limited by high inter-individual variability. Genetic factors most likely contribute to this variability by modulating the effects of tDCS. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to investigate the influence of the COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism on cathodal tDCS effects on executive functioning. METHODS: Cathodal tDCS was applied to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) during the performance of a parametric Go/No-Go test. RESULTS: We demonstrate an impairing effect of cathodal tDCS to the dlPFC on response inhibition. This effect was only found in individuals homozygous for the Val-allele of the COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism. No effects of stimulation on executive functions in Met-allele carriers were detected. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that i) cathodal, excitability reducing tDCS, interferes with inhibitory cognitive control, ii) the left dlPFC is critically involved in the neuronal network underlying the control of response inhibition, and iii) the COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism modulates the impact of cathodal tDCS on inhibitory control. Together with our previous finding that anodal tDCS selectively impairs set-shifting abilities in COMT Met/Met homozygous individuals, these results indicate that genetic factors modulate effects of tDCS on cognitive performance. Therefore, future tDCS research should account for genetic variability in the design and analysis of neurocognitive as well as therapeutic applications to reduce the variability of results and facilitate individualized neurostimulation approaches.
Authors: Brieann C Satterfield; John M Hinson; Paul Whitney; Michelle A Schmidt; Jonathan P Wisor; Hans P A Van Dongen Journal: Cortex Date: 2017-11-26 Impact factor: 4.027
Authors: Michael J Imburgio; Hannah K Ballard; Astin C Cornwall; Darrell A Worthy; Jessica A Bernard; Joseph M Orr Journal: Behav Brain Res Date: 2021-01-10 Impact factor: 3.332