Prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation improves fundamental vehicle control abilities

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Neuromodulation

Background:

• Noninvasive brain stimulation techniques are crucial for understanding brain region causality.
• Application of these techniques in real-world scenarios remains limited.
• The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) role in complex behaviors needs further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the causal role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in vehicle control.
• To explore the utility of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in ecologically valid driving tasks.

Main Methods:

• Thirteen participants completed a simulated driving task.
• Prefrontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was applied in three conditions: right anodal/left cathodal, right cathodal/left anodal, and sham.
• Driving performance was assessed via car-following and lane-keeping metrics.

Main Results:

• Both car-following and lane-keeping performance improved significantly with right anodal/left cathodal DLPFC stimulation compared to other conditions.
• This suggests a causal role for the DLPFC in driving.
• Evidence for right hemisphere dominance in vehicle control was observed.

Conclusions:

• The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is causally involved in vehicle control.
• Right hemisphere dominance in driving performance was identified.
• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a viable tool for studying brain function in real-world settings and may aid drivers.