Modulating Memory Performance in Healthy Subjects with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Right...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) is crucial for recognition memory, as evidenced by lesion, neuroimaging, and repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) studies.
• Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique used to modulate cortical excitability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of tDCS on the left and right DLPFC during the delay phase of a non-verbal recognition memory task.
• To determine if cathodal or anodal tDCS over the DLPFC influences recognition memory performance.

Main Methods:

• 36 healthy, right-handed young adults participated in two experiments.
• Participants completed an Italian version of the Recognition Memory Test for unknown faces.
• Subjects received either sham, cathodal, or anodal tDCS over the left or right DLPFC.

Main Results:

• Cathodal tDCS applied to the right DLPFC significantly improved non-verbal recognition memory.
• Cathodal tDCS over the left DLPFC did not yield significant changes in memory performance.
• Anodal tDCS, regardless of the hemisphere (left or right DLPFC), did not alter recognition memory outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Cathodal tDCS over the right DLPFC offers a potential method for enhancing recognition memory in healthy individuals.
• These findings expand upon previous research, demonstrating that right DLPFC cathodal stimulation, in addition to left prefrontal anodal stimulation, can facilitate memory.
• The study highlights the differential effects of stimulation polarity and location on cognitive functions like recognition memory.