Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26073148›Full record

Trial reportCortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior2015

Delayed enhancement of multitasking performance: Effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on the prefrontal cortex.

Wan-Yu Hsu, Theodore P Zanto, Joaquin A Anguera, Yung-Yang Lin, Adam Gazzaley

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
37citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

37 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  8. Prefrontal Cortex Structure Predicts Training-Induced Improvements in Multitasking Performance.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2016
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Wan-Yu HsuDepartment of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Institute of Brain Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Integrated Brain Research Laboratory, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Theodore P ZantoDepartment of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Joaquin A AngueraDepartment of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Yung-Yang LinInstitute of Brain Science, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Physiology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; Laboratory of Neurophysiology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Integrated Brain Research Laboratory, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Adam GazzaleyDepartment of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Departments of Physiology and Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA. Electronic address: adam.gazzaley@ucsf.edu.

Funding

Causal dynamics in neural networks underlying top-down modulationR01MH096861 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI GAZZALEY, ADAM H · 2012 to 2015
$1.6M
NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH096861NIMH NIH HHS R01MH096861
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been proposed to play an important role in neural processes that underlie multitasking performance. However, this claim is underexplored in terms of direct causal evidence.

objectiveThe current study aimed to delineate the causal involvement of the DLPFC during multitasking by modulating neural activity with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) prior to engagement in a demanding multitasking paradigm.

methodsThe study is a single-blind, crossover, sham-controlled experiment. Anodal tDCS or sham tDCS was applied over left DLPFC in forty-one healthy young adults (aged 18-35 years) immediately before they engaged in a 3-D video game designed to assess multitasking performance. Participants were separated into three subgroups: real-sham (i.e., real tDCS in the first session, followed by sham tDCS in the second session 1 h later), sham-real (sham tDCS first session, real tDCS second session), and sham-sham (sham tDCS in both sessions).

resultsThe real-sham group showed enhanced multitasking performance and decreased multitasking cost during the second session, compared to first session, suggesting delayed cognitive benefits of tDCS. Interestingly, performance benefits were observed only for multitasking and not on a single-task version of the game. No significant changes were found between the first and second sessions for either the sham-real or the sham-sham groups.

conclusionsThese results suggest a causal role of left prefrontal cortex in facilitating the simultaneous performance of more than one task, or multitasking. Moreover, these findings reveal that anodal tDCS may have delayed benefits that reflect an enhanced rate of learning.

Indexed as

Transcranial Direct Current StimulationAdolescentAdultCross-Over StudiesFemaleHumansMaleNeuropsychological TestsPrefrontal CortexSingle-Blind MethodYoung AdultAttentionDorsolateral prefrontal cortexMultitaskingTranscranial direct current stimulation

Identifiers

PMID26073148
PMCPMC4522400

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.