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Updated: Feb 26, 2026
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Simultaneous Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Published on: April 27, 2014
The Effect of Prefrontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Attention Network Function in Healthy Volunteers
Joanna Astrid Miler1,2, Daniel Meron2,3, David S Baldwin2,3
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social, Human and Mathematical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Objectives:
The effect of acute transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cortical attention networks remains unclear. We examined the effect of 20 min of 2 mA dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tDCS (bipolar balanced montage) on the efficiency of alerting, orienting and executive attention networks measured by the attention network test.
Materials And Methods:
A between-subjects stratified randomized design compared active tDCS vs. sham tDCS on attention network function in healthy young adults.
Results:
Executive attention was greater following active vs. sham stimulation (d = 0.76) in the absence of effects on alerting, orienting, or global RT or error rates. Group differences were not moderated by state-mood.
Conclusion(S):
Twenty minutes of active 2 mA tDCS over left DLPFC is associated with greater executive attention in healthy humans.
