Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33536886›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in human neuroscience2020

Effect of Repeated Anodal HD-tDCS on Executive Functions: Evidence From a Pilot and Single-Blinded fNIRS Study.

Hongliang Lu, Yue Gong, Peng Huang, Yajuan Zhang, Zhihua Guo, Xia Zhu, Xuqun You

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
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

18 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Trial
  4. Trial
  5. Trial
  6. Trial
  7. Trial
  8. Article
  9. Review
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
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

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Hongliang LuFaculty of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Yue GongSchool of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China.
Peng HuangFaculty of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Yajuan ZhangFaculty of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Zhihua GuoFaculty of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Xia ZhuFaculty of Medical Psychology, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an, China.
Xuqun YouSchool of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China.
Air Force Medical University · CNShaanxi Normal University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Executive functions are of vital importance in the process of active cognition, which is thought to be associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). As a valid brain stimulation technology, high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) has been used to optimize cognitive function in healthy adults. Substantial evidence indicates that short-term or single anodal tDCS sessions over the left DLPFC will enhance the performance of executive functions. However, the changes in performance and cortical activation of executive functions after modulation by repeated anodal HD-tDCS is as yet unexplored. This study aims to examine changes in three core components of executive functions (inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) produced by nine HD-tDCS sessions (1.5 mA, over left DLPFC, 20 min per session), and to use functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to bilaterally record DLPFC neural activity. A total of 43 participants were divided randomly into two study groups (anodal group vs. sham group) to complete nine interventions. Our results demonstrate that the enhancement of cognitive flexibility in the anodal group was significantly better than that in the sham group. Additionally, a Stroop effect-related decrease in oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) concentration in the DLPFC was observed in the anodal group but not the sham group. In conclusion, our study found that repeated anodal HD-tDCS sessions can significantly promote cognitive flexibility, one of the core components of executive function, and that alterations in DLPFC activation can enhance our understanding of the neuroplastic modifications modulated by HD-tDCS.

Indexed as

cognitive flexibilityexecutive functionsfNIRSinhibitory controltDCSworking memory

Identifiers

PMID33536886
PMCPMC7847848
OpenAlexW3125996460

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.