The neuroelectrophysiological and behavioral effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on executive vigilance under a continuous monotonous condition

Dai, Jing; Wang, Hang; Yang, Lin; Wang, Chunchen; Cheng, Shan; Zhang, Taihui; Ma, Jin; Wen, Zhihong; Cao, Xinsheng; Hu, Wendong · 2022 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.910457

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Summary

This study investigates the neuroelectrophysiological and behavioral effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on executive vigilance during continuous monotonous tasks. While tDCS is often proposed to mitigate vigilance decrement, prior findings have been inconsistent. The authors aimed to determine whether tDCS improves behavioral performance or modulates underlying neural activity, specifically examining early information processing and inhibitory control mechanisms. The researchers recruited 29 healthy male participants who were randomly assigned to receive either active anodal tDCS (1.5 mA for 30 min, anode at F3, cathode at right supraorbital area) or sham stimulation. Following stimulation, participants completed four sessions of a Mackworth Clock Test (vigilance task), interspersed with Oddball and Go/Nogo tasks to assess cognitive fatigue and inhibitory control, respectively. Subjective arousal was measured using the Stanford Sleepiness Scale. Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded continuously throughout the experiment to analyze event-related potentials (ERPs) and power spectral density. Behavioral results indicated that subjective arousal and objective vigilance performance significantly deteriorated over time due to task duration, but tDCS did not significantly alter this evolution. There were no significant differences between the active and sham groups in reaction time, accuracy, or false alarms during the vigilance task. However, tDCS significantly modulated neuroelectrophysiological markers. In the Oddball task, active tDCS continuously increased P2 amplitude, suggesting enhanced early-stage information processing. P3 amplitude showed a temporary enhancement that subsequently decreased with cognitive fatigue. In the Go/Nogo task, tDCS produced a continuous enhancement of N2 amplitude, associated with improved inhibition of distracting stimuli. Additionally, tDCS significantly modulated spontaneous alpha and beta band power across the entire brain. The study concludes that while anodal tDCS over the left DLPFC does not directly improve behavioral executive vigilance performance under monotonous conditions, it significantly enhances specific neurocognitive processes. Specifically, it facilitates early visual information processing and strengthens inhibitory control against distractions. These findings suggest that the benefits of tDCS may be more evident in neural efficiency and specific cognitive components rather than in overall behavioral output during sustained attention tasks.

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• neuro workload indices
• sustained attention vigilance

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• Empirical Findings: physiological data