Anodal tDCS affects neuromodulatory effects of the norepinephrine system on superior frontal theta activity during response inhibition
- 30 January 2019
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Brain Structure and Function
- Vol. 224 (3), 1291-1300
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-019-01839-3
Abstract
Medial and superior frontal theta oscillations are important for response inhibition. The norepinephrine (NE) system has been shown to modulate these oscillations possibly via gain control mechanisms, which depend on the modulation of neuron membrane potentials. Because the latter are also modulated by tDCS, the interrelation of tDCS and NE effects on superior frontal theta band activity needs investigation. We test the hypothesis that anodal tDCS affects modulatory effects of the NE system on theta band activity during inhibitory control in superior frontal regions. Using EEG beamforming, theta band activity in the superior frontal gyrus (SFG) was integrated (correlated) with the pupil diameter data as an indirect index of NE activity. In a within-subject design, healthy participants completed a response inhibition task in two sessions in which they received 2 mA anodal tDCS over the vertex, or sham stimulation. There were no behavioral effects of anodal tDCS. Yet, tDCS affected correlations between SFG theta band activity time course and the pupil diameter time course. Correlations were evident after sham stimulation (r = .701; p < .004), but absent after anodal tDCS. The observed power of this dissociation was above 95%. The data suggest that anodal tDCS may eliminate neuromodulatory effects, likely of the NE system, on theta band activity during response inhibition in a structure of the response inhibition network. The NE system and tDCS seem to target similar mechanisms important for cognitive control in the prefrontal cortex. The results provide a hint why tDCS often fails to induce overt behavioral effects and shows that neurobiological systems, which may exert similar effects as tDCS on neural processes should closely be monitored in tDCS experiments.Keywords
Funding Information
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (BE4045/26-1, SFB 940 project B8)
This publication has 75 references indexed in Scilit:
- The system‐neurophysiological basis for how methylphenidate modulates perceptual–attentional conflicts during auditory processingHuman Brain Mapping, 2018
- Catecholaminergic Modulation of Conflict Control Depends on the Source of ConflictsInternational Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2018
- Striosomal dysfunction affects behavioral adaptation but not impulsivity—Evidence from X‐linked dystonia‐parkinsonismMovement Disorders, 2017
- Effects of Concomitant Stimulation of the GABAergic and Norepinephrine System on Inhibitory Control – A Study Using Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve StimulationBrain Stimulation, 2016
- Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation applied over the supplementary motor area delays spontaneous antiphase-to-in-phase transitionsJournal of Neurophysiology, 2015
- Inhibition and the right inferior frontal cortex: one decade onTrends in Cognitive Sciences, 2014
- Inhibition and impulsivity: Behavioral and neural basis of response controlProgress in Neurobiology, 2013
- On the role of fronto-striatal neural synchronization processes for response inhibition—Evidence from ERP phase-synchronization analyses in pre-manifest Huntington's disease gene mutation carriersNeuropsychologia, 2011
- AN INTEGRATIVE THEORY OF LOCUS COERULEUS-NOREPINEPHRINE FUNCTION: Adaptive Gain and Optimal PerformanceAnnual Review of Neuroscience, 2005
- Manipulation of phosphene thresholds by transcranial direct current stimulation in manExperimental Brain Research, 2003