Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34106250›Full record

ArticleThe international journal of neuropsychopharmacology2021

Dosage-Dependent Impact of Acute Serotonin Enhancement on Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Effects.

Lorena Melo, Mohsen Mosayebi-Samani, Elham Ghanavati, Michael A Nitsche, Min-Fang Kuo

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed
1.4field-weighted citation impact, top 20% 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

11 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

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  8. Research progress of tDCS in the treatment of ADHD.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2025
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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 at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Lorena MeloDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany.
Mohsen Mosayebi-SamaniDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany.
Elham GhanavatiDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany.
Michael A NitscheDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany.
Min-Fang KuoDepartment of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Dortmund, Germany.
Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors · DETU Dortmund University · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe serotonergic system has an important impact on basic physiological and higher brain functions. Acute and chronic enhancement of serotonin levels via selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor administration impacts neuroplasticity in humans, as shown by its effects on cortical excitability alterations induced by non-invasive brain stimulation, including transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Nevertheless, the interaction between serotonin activation and neuroplasticity is not fully understood, particularly considering dose-dependent effects. Our goal was to explore dosage-dependent effects of acute serotonin enhancement on stimulation-induced plasticity in healthy individuals.

methodsTwelve healthy adults participated in 7 sessions conducted in a crossover, partially double-blinded, randomized, and sham-controlled study design. Anodal and cathodal tDCS was applied to the motor cortex under selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (20 mg/40 mg citalopram) or placebo medication. Motor cortex excitability was monitored by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation.

resultsUnder placebo medication, anodal tDCS enhanced, and cathodal tDCS reduced, excitability for approximately 60-120 minutes after the intervention. Citalopram enhanced and prolonged the facilitation induced by anodal tDCS regardless of the dosage while turning cathodal tDCS-induced excitability diminution into facilitation. For the latter, prolonged effects were observed when 40 mg was administrated.

conclusionsAcute serotonin enhancement modulates tDCS after-effects and has largely similar modulatory effects on motor cortex neuroplasticity regardless of the specific dosage. A minor dosage-dependent effect was observed only for cathodal tDCS. The present findings support the concept of boosting the neuroplastic effects of anodal tDCS by serotonergic enhancement, a potential clinical approach for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Indexed as

AdultCitalopramCortical ExcitabilityCross-Over StudiesDose-Response Relationship, DrugFemaleHumansMaleMotor CortexNeuronal PlasticityRandom AllocationSelective Serotonin Reuptake InhibitorsTranscranial Direct Current StimulationYoung AdultCitalopramSelective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitorsmotor cortexneuroplasticitySerotonintranscranial direct current stimulation

Identifiers

PMID34106250
PMCPMC8538892
OpenAlexW3171151222

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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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.