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Increasing propensity to mind-wander with transcranial direct current stimulation.

Vadim Axelrod1, Geraint Rees2, Michal Lavidor3

  • 1The Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center and UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and vadim.axelrod@gmail.com.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|February 19, 2015
PubMed
Summary

Brain stimulation can externally enhance mind wandering. Applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the frontal lobes, specifically the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), increased spontaneous inner thoughts.

Keywords:
brain stimulationfrontal lobesmind wanderingspontaneous activitytDCS

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Mind wandering is a common, spontaneous cognitive process involving inwardly directed thoughts.
  • Previous research primarily used correlational methods like fMRI to study mind wandering's neural correlates.
  • The potential for external modulation of mind wandering via brain stimulation remained unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if brain stimulation can externally modulate mind wandering.
  • To causally identify the neural correlates of mind wandering.
  • To explore the role of the frontal lobes in mind-wandering behavior.

Main Methods:

  • Participants performed a monotonous task while their thoughts were periodically assessed.
  • Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was applied to the frontal lobes (left DLPFC and right supraorbital area).
  • Control conditions included stimulation of the occipital cortex and sham stimulation.

Main Results:

  • Frontal lobe stimulation significantly increased the propensity for mind wandering.
  • Stimulation of the occipital cortex or sham stimulation did not affect mind wandering.
  • This provides the first evidence for externally enhancing mind wandering via brain stimulation.

Conclusions:

  • Brain stimulation, specifically tDCS of the frontal lobes, can enhance mind wandering.
  • The frontal lobes, particularly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), play a causal role in mind-wandering.
  • The executive control network associated with the DLPFC may be integral to the neural mechanisms of mind wandering.