Enhancing response inhibition behavior through tDCS intervention in college students with smartphone addiction

Smartphone addiction, emerging from excessive use of smartphones, poses a challenge to inhibitory control functions within society. This research employed transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as an intervention alongside the stop signal task (SST) to explore behavioral distinctions between individuals with smartphone addiction and a non-addicted control group, focusing on the efficacy of tDCS intervention. The participant cohort comprised 80 individuals, divided into an addiction group (39 participants, with 19 receiving active tDCS and 20 receiving sham tDCS) and a control group (41 participants, with 20 receiving active tDCS and 21 receiving sham tDCS), with anodal stimulation applied over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and cathodal placement over the left arm. The findings indicate that university students struggling with smartphone addiction exhibit reduced inhibitory control compared to their non-addicted peers, while maintaining similar levels of general cognitive control. Remarkably, tDCS interventions were observed to enhance inhibitory control in both groups. Although the improvement in the addiction group appeared more pronounced numerically than in the control group, no significant interaction with group was noted. However, a higher percentage of participants in the smartphone addiction (SA) group exhibited enhanced response inhibition under active tDCS. This study demonstrates the inhibitory control deficits in individuals addicted to smartphones and underscores the potential of tDCS in enhancing response inhibition. It provides a valuable reference for future tDCS research targeting smartphone addiction and highlights the importance of developing healthier smartphone usage habits.