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Published on: November 2, 2017
Meta-analysis of the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on inhibitory control
Philipp A Schroeder1, Tobias Schwippel2, Ines Wolz1
1Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
Background:
Inhibitory control refers to a central cognitive capacity involved in the interruption and correction of actions. Dysfunctions in these cognitive control processes have been identified as major maintaining mechanisms in a range of mental disorders such as ADHD, binge eating disorder, obesity, and addiction. Improving inhibitory control by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could ameliorate symptoms in a broad range of mental disorders.
Objective:
The primary aim of this pre-registered meta-analysis was to investigate whether inhibitory control can be improved by tDCS in healthy and clinical samples. Additionally, several moderator variables were investigated.
Methods:
A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed/MEDLINE database, Web of Science, and Scopus. To achieve a homogenous sample, only studies that assessed inhibitory control in the go-/no-go (GNG) or stop-signal task (SST) were included, yielding a total of 75 effect sizes from 45 studies.
Results:
Results of the meta-analysis indicate a small but significant overall effect of tDCS on inhibitory control (g = 0.21) which was moderated by target and return electrode placement as well as by the task. The small effect size was further reduced after correction for publication bias.
Conclusion:
Based on the studies included, our meta-analytic approach substantiates previously observed differences between brain regions, i.e., involvement of the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) vs. the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (rDLPFC) in inhibitory control. Results indicate a small moderating effect of tDCS on inhibitory control in single-session studies and highlight the relevance of technical and behavioral parameters.
