Maximilian Friehs | Neuromodulation via tDCS - Modification of cognitive control processes

Gastvortrag

  • Datum: 10.04.2018
  • Uhrzeit: 11:00 - 12:00
  • Vortragende(r): Maximilian Friehs
  • Department of General Psychology and Methodology, Trier University, Germany
  • Ort: MPI für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften
  • Raum: Wilhelm Wundt Raum (A400)
Although electric stimulation as a form of medical treatment has been around for ~ 2000 years, transcranial electric stimulation (tES) is a relatively new noninvasive method of stimulating different regions of the brain. To achieve modulation of neuronal activity, electrodes are mounted to the skull and a low-intensity current is applied. tES is an umbrella term covering tACS (transcranial alternate current stimulation), tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) and tRCS (transcranial random current stimulation). In this talk I will focus on single-session tDCS and its effect on executive control processes.

In this talk I will present data from three different studies which set out to modulate cognitive inhibition process via stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). For this purpose, the Stroop and the Stop-Signal Task were employed. Firstly, results so far suggest that tDCS can modulate executive control processes. Secondly, the DLPFC seems to respond to tDCS in a polarity dependent way. Thirdly, we suggest that a rigorous planning and conduction of tDCS studies might produce more conclusive results

In sum, although tDCS research produces a lot of inconclusive and partially contradictory data, tDCS is a promising method to deepen our understanding of the correspondence between neural networks and behavior. Additionally, in the future tDCS might have a wide range of potential real-life applications outside of medical treatment.

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