Cathodal tDCS improves task performance in participants high in Coldheartedness.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Psychopathic personality traits are linked to impaired response inhibition.
• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulation technique that can alter cortical excitability.
• Individual differences in personality may influence the effects of tDCS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if personality traits modulate tDCS effects on response inhibition.
• To examine the influence of psychopathic traits, specifically Coldheartedness and Blame Externalization, on tDCS outcomes.
• To explore tDCS effects on response inhibition under varying cognitive loads.

Main Methods:

• Eighteen healthy participants received sham, anodal, or cathodal tDCS over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
• Participants completed the parametric Go/No-go task under low and high cognitive load conditions.
• Psychopathy scores were assessed using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R), and ANCOVA was used for analysis.

Main Results:

• A positive correlation was observed between higher Coldheartedness scores and improved Go/No-go task performance following cathodal tDCS.
• This beneficial effect of cathodal tDCS on response inhibition was specific to the high cognitive load condition.
• No significant modulatory effects were found for Blame Externalization.

Conclusions:

• The psychopathic trait Coldheartedness may indicate an imbalance in excitatory/inhibitory neural input to the right dlPFC.
• Cathodal tDCS may enhance response inhibition by optimizing excitatory glutamate levels in the dlPFC.
• This study highlights tDCS as a tool for understanding the interplay between personality traits and cortical function, with cathodal stimulation showing promise for improving response inhibition in individuals high in Coldheartedness.