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Published on: June 6, 2025
Bilateral temporal cortex transcranial direct current stimulation worsens male performance in a multisensory
Olivia Morgan Lapenta1, Felipe Fregni, Lindsay M Oberman
1Social and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory and Developmental Disorders Program, Center for Health and Biological Sciences, Mackenzie Presbyterian University, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the temporal cortex modulated cognitive performance in a multisensory integration task. Men showed impaired performance on specific conditions, suggesting gender-specific neural processing differences.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Psychology
Background:
- Somatosensory integration is crucial for social interaction.
- Few studies have explored cortical excitability modulation using speech perception paradigms.
- Understanding multisensory integration is key to cognitive function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on temporal cortex excitability.
- To examine how tDCS influences multisensory integration during a go-no-go task involving shapes and non-words.
- To explore gender-specific differences in cognitive responses to tDCS.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-eight healthy subjects received bilateral tDCS (cathodal, anodal, or sham) over the superior temporal cortex.
- A go-no-go task assessed judgment of congruency between shapes and non-words.
- Performance metrics included accuracy and reaction time, analyzed by stimulation polarity, task condition, and gender.
Main Results:
- tDCS significantly modified performance based on stimulation polarity, task, and gender.
- Men performed worse on the no-go condition for congruent stimuli during cathodal tDCS.
- Faster reaction times were observed for incongruent trials under both anodal and cathodal tDCS.
Conclusions:
- tDCS effectively modulates cortical excitability and cognitive performance in multisensory integration.
- Findings suggest gender differences in neural processing, with men exhibiting more focal processing during this task.
- This study contributes to understanding the neural basis of social cognition and gender-specific brain function.
