Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Right Temporal Parietal Junction Facilitates Spontaneous...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Micro-expressions are involuntary facial cues indicating genuine emotions.
• Accurate recognition of micro-expressions is crucial for social interaction and communication.
• Enhancing micro-expression recognition abilities is an area of significant research interest.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of training using a Chinese Micro-Expression Training Tool (METT) combined with brain stimulation.
• To determine if transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) of the right temporal parietal junction (rTPJ) enhances micro-expression recognition.
• To explore the role of the rTPJ in processing spontaneous micro-expressions.

Main Methods:

• Participants underwent training with the Chinese METT.
• Anodal tDCS was applied to the rTPJ in the experimental group.
• A sham tDCS procedure was used for control.
• Recognition accuracy for spontaneous micro-expressions was assessed.

Main Results:

• Anodal tDCS of the rTPJ significantly improved the accuracy of recognizing spontaneous micro-expressions.
• Recognition of fear-related micro-expressions showed the most improvement.
• Enhanced accuracy in the anodal group correlated with personal distress.

Conclusions:

• Combined METT training and rTPJ tDCS is an effective method for enhancing micro-expression recognition.
• The rTPJ plays a key role in the recognition of subtle, spontaneous emotional expressions.
• This approach offers a potential avenue for improving social-cognitive skills.