Single session and repeated anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex increases reflective thinking but not working memory updating performance

Article

Edgcumbe, D., Rivolta, D., Nitsche, M. A. and Thoma, V. 2024. Single session and repeated anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex increases reflective thinking but not working memory updating performance. Heliyon. 10 (16), p. e36078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36078
AuthorsEdgcumbe, D., Rivolta, D., Nitsche, M. A. and Thoma, V.
Abstract

Background
Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has shown to have effects on different domains of cognition yet there is a gap in the literature regarding effects on reflective thinking performance.

Objective
The current study investigated if single session and repeated anodal tDCS over the right DLPFC induces effects on judgment and decision-making performance and whether these are linked to working memory (updating) performance or cognitive inhibition.

Methods
Participants received anodal tDCS over the right DLPFC once (plus sham tDCS in a second session) or twice (24 h apart). In the third group participants received a single session of sham stimulation only. Cognitive characteristic measures were administered pre-stimulation (thinking disposition, impulsivity, cognitive ability). Experimental tasks included two versions of the Cognitive Reflection Test (numeric vs verbal-CRT), a set of incongruent base-rate vignettes, and two working memory tests (Sternberg task and n-back task). Forty-eight participants (mean age = 26.08 ± 0.54 years; 27 females) were recruited.

Results
Single sessions of tDCS were associated with an increase in reflective thinking performance compared to the sham conditions, with stimulation improving scores on incongruent base rate tasks as well as marginally improving numeric CRT scores (compared to sham), but not thinking tasks without a numeric component (verbal-CRT). Repeated anodal stimulation only improved numeric CRT scores. tDCS did not increase working memory (updating) performance. These findings could not be explained by a practice effect or a priori differences in cognitive characteristics or impulsivity across the experimental groups.

Conclusion
The current results demonstrate the involvement of the right DLPFC in reflective thinking performance which cannot be explained by working memory (updating) performance or general cognitive characteristics of participants.

JournalHeliyon
Journal citation10 (16), p. e36078
ISSN2405-8440
Year2024
PublisherElsevier (Cell Press)
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Anyone
Supplemental file
License
File Access Level
Anyone
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36078
Publication dates
Online13 Aug 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted08 Aug 2024
Deposited21 Aug 2024
Copyright holder© 2024, The Author(s)
Permalink -

https://repository.uel.ac.uk/item/8y231

Log in to edit

Download files

Publisher's version
1-s2.0-S2405844024121093-main.pdf
License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
File access level: Anyone

Supplemental file
1-s2.0-S2405844024121093-mmc1.docx
License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
File access level: Anyone

  • 5
    total views
  • 3
    total downloads
  • 0
    views this month
  • 0
    downloads this month

Export as

Related outputs

‘No evidence of harm’ implies no evidence of safety: Framing the lack of causal evidence in gambling advertising research
Newall, P., Allami, Y., Andrade, M., Ayton, P., Baker-Frampton, R., Bennett, D., Browne, M., Bunn, C., Bush-Evans, R., Chen, S., Collard, S., De Jans, S., Derevensky, J., Dowling, N. A., Dymond, S., Froude, A. Goyder, E., Heirene, R. M., Hing, N., Hudders, L., Hunt, K., James, R. J. E., Li, E., Ludvig, E. A., Marionneau, V., McGrane, E., Merkouris, S. S., Orford, J., Parrado-González, A., Pryce, R., Rockloff, M., Romild, U., Rossi, R., Russell, A. M. T., Singmann, H., Quosai, T. S., Stark, S., Suomi, A., Swanton, T. B., Talberg, N., Thoma, V., Torrance, J., Tulloch, C., van Holst, R. J., Walasek, L., Wardle, H., West, J., Wheaton, J., Xiao, L. Y., Young, M. M., Bellringer, M., Sharman, S. and Roberts, A. 2024. ‘No evidence of harm’ implies no evidence of safety: Framing the lack of causal evidence in gambling advertising research. Addiction. 119 (2), pp. 391-396. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.16369
Differences Amongst Estimates of the UK Problem Gambling Prevalence Rate Are Partly Due to a Methodological Artefact
Newall, P. W. S., Weiss-Cohen, L., Thoma, V. and Ayton, P. 2024. Differences Amongst Estimates of the UK Problem Gambling Prevalence Rate Are Partly Due to a Methodological Artefact. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. 22, pp. 361-363. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00877-z
The effects of sex and handedness on masturbation laterality and other lateralised motor behaviours
Rodway, P., Thoma, V. and Schepman, A. 2022. The effects of sex and handedness on masturbation laterality and other lateralised motor behaviours. Laterality. 27 (3), pp. 324-352. https://doi.org/10.1080/1357650X.2021.2006211
Gut thinking and eye tracking: evidence for a central preference heuristic
Thoma, V., Rodway, P. and Tamlyn, G. 2021. Gut thinking and eye tracking: evidence for a central preference heuristic. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology. 33 (8), pp. 919-930. https://doi.org/10.1080/20445911.2021.1969942
Pension scheme trustees as surrogate decision makers
Weiss-Cohen, L., Ayton, P., Clacher, I. and Thoma, V. 2021. Pension scheme trustees as surrogate decision makers. Finance Research Letters. 44 (Art. 102043). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2021.102043
Cognitive Predictors of Precautionary Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Thoma, V., Weiss-Cohen, L., Filkuková, P. and Ayton, P. 2021. Cognitive Predictors of Precautionary Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology. 12 (Art. 589800). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.589800
The edge of reason: A thematic analysis of how professional financial traders understand analytical decision making
Anderson, I. and Thoma, V. 2020. The edge of reason: A thematic analysis of how professional financial traders understand analytical decision making. European Management Journal. 39 (2), pp. 304-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2020.08.006
Water supplementation after dehydration improves judgment and decision-making performance
Thoma, V. and Patsalos, Olivia C. 2020. Water supplementation after dehydration improves judgment and decision-making performance. Psychological Research. 84, p. 1223–1234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-018-1136-y
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 40 Hz enhances face and object perception
Gonzalez Perez, M., Wakui, E., Thoma, V., Nitsche, M. A. and Rivolta, D. 2019. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 40 Hz enhances face and object perception. Neuropsychologia. 135 (Art. 107237). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107237
Review: Non‐invasive brain stimulation in behavioral addictions: insights from direct comparisons with substance use disorders
Gomis Vicent, E., Thoma, V., Turner, J., Hill, K. P. and Pascual‐Leone, A. 2019. Review: Non‐invasive brain stimulation in behavioral addictions: insights from direct comparisons with substance use disorders. The American Journal on Addictions. 28 (6), pp. 431-454. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajad.12945
Thinking dispositions and cognitive reflection performance in schizotypy
Broyd, Annabel, Ettinger, Ulrich and Thoma, V. 2019. Thinking dispositions and cognitive reflection performance in schizotypy. Judgment and Decision Making. 14 (1), pp. 80-90.
Determinants for Successful Agile Collaboration between UX Designers and Software Developers in a Complex Organisation
Jones, Alexander and Thoma, V. 2019. Determinants for Successful Agile Collaboration between UX Designers and Software Developers in a Complex Organisation. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction. 35 (20), pp. 1914-1935. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2019.1587856
Exploring the relationship between grapheme colour-picking consistency and mental imagery
Spiller, M., Harkry, Lee, McCullagh, Fintan, Thoma, V. and Jonas, C. 2019. Exploring the relationship between grapheme colour-picking consistency and mental imagery. Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences. 374 (Art. 20190023). https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0023
Three-quarter views of depth-rotated faces induce face-specific capacity limits in visual search
Thoma, V. and de Fockert, Jan W. 2019. Three-quarter views of depth-rotated faces induce face-specific capacity limits in visual search. Experimental Psychology. 65 (6), pp. 360-369. https://doi.org/10.1027/1618-3169/a000421
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Decision-Making: The Neuromodulation of Cognitive Reflection
Edgcumbe, D. R. 2018. Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Decision-Making: The Neuromodulation of Cognitive Reflection. PhD Thesis University of East London School of Psychology https://doi.org/10.15123/uel.86z83
Behavioral biases in pension fund trustees’ decision-making
Weiss-Cohen, Leonardo, Ayton, Peter, Clacher, Iain and Thoma, V. 2018. Behavioral biases in pension fund trustees’ decision-making. Review of Behavioural Finance. 11 (2), pp. 128-143. https://doi.org/10.1108/RBF-05-2018-0049
Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex enhances reflective judgment & decision-making
Edgcumbe, Daniel R., Thoma, V., Rivolta, Davide, Nitsche, Michael A. and Fu, C. 2018. Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex enhances reflective judgment & decision-making. Brain Stimulation. 12 (3), pp. 652-658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2018.12.003
Misaligned and Polarity-Reversed Faces Determine Face-specific Capacity Limits
Thoma, V., Ward, Neil and de Fockert, Jan W. 2016. Misaligned and Polarity-Reversed Faces Determine Face-specific Capacity Limits. Frontiers in Psychology. 7 (1470). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01470
View-sensitive ERP repetition effects indicate automatic holistic processing of spatially unattended objects
Wakui, E., Thoma, V. and de Fockert, Jan W. 2016. View-sensitive ERP repetition effects indicate automatic holistic processing of spatially unattended objects. Neuropsychologia. 89, pp. 426-436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.07.024
Reachability Does Not Explain the Middle Preference: A Comment on Bar-Hillel (2015)
Rodway, P., Schepman, A. and Thoma, V. 2016. Reachability Does Not Explain the Middle Preference: A Comment on Bar-Hillel (2015). i-Perception. 7 (2).
Event-related potential effects of object repetition depend on attention and part-whole configuration
Gosling, Angela, Thoma, V., Fockert, Jan W. De and Richardson-Klavehn, Alan 2016. Event-related potential effects of object repetition depend on attention and part-whole configuration. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 10 (478). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00478
Looking behaviour and preference for artworks: The role of emotional valence and location
Kreplin, Ute, Thoma, V. and Rodway, Paul 2014. Looking behaviour and preference for artworks: The role of emotional valence and location. Acta Psychologica. 152, pp. 100-108.
Spatial attention enhances object coding in local and distributed representations of the lateral occipital complex
Guggenmos, Matthias, Thoma, V., Haynes, John-Dylan, Richardson-Klavehn, Alan, Cichy, Radoslaw Martin and Sterzer, Philipp 2015. Spatial attention enhances object coding in local and distributed representations of the lateral occipital complex. NeuroImage. 116, pp. 149-157.
Good Thinking or Gut Feeling? Cognitive Reflection and Intuition in Traders, Bankers and Financial Non-Experts
Thoma, V., White, Elliott, Panigrahi, Asha, Strowger, Vanessa and Anderson, I. 2015. Good Thinking or Gut Feeling? Cognitive Reflection and Intuition in Traders, Bankers and Financial Non-Experts. PLoS ONE. 10 (4), p. e0123202.
Priming of object detection under continuous flash suppression depends on attention but not on part-whole configuration
Stein, Timo, Thoma, V. and Sterzer, Philipp 2015. Priming of object detection under continuous flash suppression depends on attention but not on part-whole configuration. Journal of Vision. 15 (3), pp. 15-15. https://doi.org/10.1167/15.3.15
Object representations in ventral and dorsal visual streams: fMRI repetition effects depend on attention and part–whole configuration
Thoma, V. and Henson, Richard N. 2011. Object representations in ventral and dorsal visual streams: fMRI repetition effects depend on attention and part–whole configuration. NeuroImage. 57 (2), pp. 513-525.
Face-specific capacity limits under perceptual load do not depend on holistic processing
Thoma, V. 2014. Face-specific capacity limits under perceptual load do not depend on holistic processing. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. 21 (6), pp. 1473-1480. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-014-0633-2
Non-holistic coding of objects in lateral occipital complex with and without attention
Guggenmos, Matthias, Thoma, V., Cichy, Radoslaw Martin, Haynes, John-Dylan, Sterzer, Philipp and Richardson-Klavehn, Alan 2014. Non-holistic coding of objects in lateral occipital complex with and without attention. NeuroImage. 107, pp. 356-363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.12.013
The devil you know: The effect of brand recognition and product ratings on consumer choice
Thoma, V. and Williams, Alwyn 2013. The devil you know: The effect of brand recognition and product ratings on consumer choice. Judgment and Decision Making. 8 (1), pp. 34-44.
Perceptual load effects on processing distractor faces indicate face-specific capacity limits
Thoma, V. and Lavie, Nilli 2013. Perceptual load effects on processing distractor faces indicate face-specific capacity limits. Visual Cognition. 21 (8), pp. 1053-1076.
Good thinking or gut feeling? Decision-making style and rationality in traders, bankers and financial non-experts
Thoma, V. 2013. Good thinking or gut feeling? Decision-making style and rationality in traders, bankers and financial non-experts. UEL Research and Knowledge Exchange Conference 2013. University of East London, London 26 Jun 2013 London University of East London.
Evidence for holistic representations of ignored images and analytic representations of attended images
Thoma, V., Hummel, John E. and Jules, Davidoff 2004. Evidence for holistic representations of ignored images and analytic representations of attended images. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 30 (2), pp. 257-267.
Priming of depth-rotated objects depends on attention and part changes
Thoma, V. and Davidoff, J. 2006. Priming of depth-rotated objects depends on attention and part changes. Experimental Psychology. 53 (1), pp. 31-47.
Priming of plane-rotated objects depends on attention and view familiarity
Thoma, V., Davidoff, J. and Hummel, J.E. 2007. Priming of plane-rotated objects depends on attention and view familiarity. Visual Cognition. 15 (2), pp. 179-210.
Object representations in ventral and dorsal visual streams: fMRI repetition effects depend on attention and part–whole configuration
Thoma, V. and Henson, R.N. 2011. Object representations in ventral and dorsal visual streams: fMRI repetition effects depend on attention and part–whole configuration. NeuroImage. 57 (2), pp. 513-525.
The role of perceptual load in object recognition
Lavie, Nilli, Lin, Zhicheng, Zokaei, Nahid and Thoma, V. 2009. The role of perceptual load in object recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 35 (5), pp. 1346-1358.