tDCS increases anxiety reactivity to intentional worry

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) research has largely overlooked its effects on worry.
• Anxiety disorders often involve excessive worry, a cognitive process potentially modulated by frontal tDCS.
• Understanding tDCS's impact on worry is crucial for its application in emotional pathologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of tDCS on anxiety responses during worry induction.
• To examine tDCS's influence on the frequency of negative intrusive thoughts.
• To determine if combining tDCS with mindfulness enhances or alters its effects on worry.

Main Methods:

• Ninety-seven healthy participants received active or sham anodal tDCS targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
• Participants were assigned to receive tDCS alone or with a concurrent mindful-focus task (four conditions).
• Anxiety levels and negative thought intrusions were measured before and after a worry induction period.

Main Results:

• Active tDCS significantly increased anxiety levels in response to the worry induction task.
• No significant effects of tDCS were found on the frequency of negative thought intrusions.
• Concurrent delivery of tDCS with a mindful task did not modify the observed effects on anxiety or thought intrusions.

Conclusions:

• tDCS may potentiate emotional reactivity when individuals engage in motivated negative cognition, such as worry.
• Further research is needed, particularly in clinical populations with high anxiety.
• These findings suggest a potential interaction between tDCS and cognitive-emotional processes like worry.