Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34385478›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2021

Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on effort during a working-memory task.

David Framorando, Tianlan Cai, Yi Wang, Alan J Pegna

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
–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

9 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. The Role of the Anterior Temporal Lobe in Reading: An HD-tDCS Study.Neurobiology of language (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Neurochemical Predictors of Generalized Learning Induced by Brain Stimulation and Training.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2024
    Article
  8. Article
  9. 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

4 authors.

David FramorandoSchool of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Brisbane, QLD-4068, Australia. d.framorando@uq.edu.au.
Tianlan CaiSchool of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Brisbane, QLD-4068, Australia.
Yi WangSchool of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Brisbane, QLD-4068, Australia.
Alan J PegnaSchool of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Brisbane, QLD-4068, Australia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has shown that stimulation of Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) facilitates task performance in working-memory tasks. However, little is known about its potential effects on effort. This study examined whether tDCS affects effort during a working-memory task. Participants received anodal, cathodal and sham stimulation over DLPFC across three sessions before carrying out a 2-back task. During the task, effort-related cardiovascular measures were recorded-especially the Initial Systolic Time Interval (ISTI). Results showed that anodal stimulation produced a shorter ISTI, indicating a greater effort compared to cathodal and sham conditions, where effort was lower. These findings demonstrate that anodal stimulation helps participants to maintain engagement in a highly demanding task (by increasing task mastery), without which they would otherwise disengage. This study is the first to show that tDCS impacts the extent of effort engaged by individuals during a difficult task.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultCognitionFemaleHumansMaleMemory, Short-TermNeuropsychological TestsPrefrontal CortexTranscranial Direct Current StimulationYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID34385478
PMCPMC8361175

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.