Modulating inhibitory control in test-anxious individuals via tDCS: An ERP study

Test anxiety is a common emotional problem that often negatively affects academic performance. To examine the potential of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in modulating neural inhibitory control efficiency in individuals with high test anxiety, this study investigated the intervention effects and underlying neural mechanisms. A total of 42 participants with high or low levels of test anxiety were recruited. Each participant received both active (anodal) and sham tDCS targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), while event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a Flanker task that indexes inhibitory control by requiring participants to respond to a central target while ignoring distracting flankers. Results showed that, compared to sham stimulation, active tDCS significantly reduced the amplitude of the P3 component-a late positive potential associated with attentional allocation-in the high test anxiety group, but had no significant effect in the low test anxiety group. These findings suggest that tDCS modulates neural inhibitory control in individuals with high test anxiety by activating the left DLPFC. This study provides electrophysiological evidence for non-invasive neuromodulation as a potential intervention strategy and identifying a promising neural target.