Epidural direct current stimulation over the left medial prefrontal cortex facilitates spatial working memory...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Neuromodulation

Background:

• Low-intensity electrical stimulation modulates prefrontal cortex (PFC) excitability.
• PFC excitability modulation shows promise for treating neuropsychiatric diseases and enhancing cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of epidural direct current stimulation (eDCS) on spatial working memory.
• eDCS offers more focal stimulation with less current shunting compared to other methods.

Main Methods:

• Male Wistar rats trained on an 8-arm radial maze.
• Anodal eDCS (400 μA for 11 min) applied to the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) or sham procedure.
• Delayed spatial working memory tests conducted at 1-h, 4-h, and 10-h post-stimulation.

Main Results:

• eDCS group showed significantly fewer errors in 1-h, 4-h, and 10-h delayed tests compared to sham.
• Locomotor activity and time spent in maze arms remained unaffected by eDCS.
• No neuronal lesions were observed in the mPFC beneath the eDCS electrodes.

Conclusions:

• Epidural direct current stimulation over the mPFC effectively facilitates spatial working memory in rats.
• The observed cognitive enhancement effect of eDCS is long-lasting.
• eDCS is a safe and effective method for improving cognitive function.