Work

Anodal High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Left (but not Right) Parietal Cortex Facilitates Mental Arithmetic

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) allow for investigating the functional involvement of specific brain areas in mental arithmetic. In this study, we employed for the first time high-definition (HD)-tDCS, which offers enhanced spatial precision, to explore the functional roles of the left and right intraparietal sulcus (IPS) in mental arithmetic. A total of 25 participants underwent anodal left IPS, anodal right IPS, and sham stimulation in separate sessions in counterbalanced order while solving single- and multi-step addition and subtraction problems. We found that stimulation of the left IPS, but not the right IPS or sham stimulation, improved arithmetic performance speed. These results provide further evidence for the functional involvement of the left IPS in a broad range of arithmetic tasks and highlight the potential of NIBS for cognitive enhancement. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41465-024-00314-0.

Source: Journal of Cognitive Enhancement

DOI: 10.1007/s41465-024-00314-0

Authors: Matthias Hartmann, Magali Dumureau

Institutions: University of Bern, UniDistance Suisse

Language: English

Topic: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies

Subfield: Neurology

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,990