Neuromodulation and Cognitive Control of Emotion

Recently, noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) methodologies, including TMS and tDCS, have been considered as efficacious, safe, and innovative treatments and alternatives to conventional therapies for some psychiatric disorders. Developing evidence suggests that applying rTMS and tDCS over the cognitive control network (CCN), particularly the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), may improve core symptoms in various psychiatric disorders via direct impact on the cognitive control processes involved in emotion regulation. Therefore, neuromodulation of brain regions involved in the cognitive control of emotion by NIBS approaches could contribute to a paradigm shift in psychiatry. The available evidence suggests that development of effective treatment alternatives to enhance cognition is critical for patients with psychiatric disorders. The purpose of this chapter is to review the cognition-enhancing properties of tDCS and TMS and the impact of these treatments on cognitive control processes, especially those related to emotion regulation in psychiatric disorders.