Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026
High-definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex to Enhance Metacognitive Sensitivity
Published on: September 26, 2025
A single session of bi-hemispheric tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and right orbitofrontal cortex
Maicon Rodrigues Albuquerque1, Iasmin Oliveira de Sousa Viana1, Jonas Jardim de Paula2
1Neuroscience of Physical Activity and Sports Research Group, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Abstract:
Executive functions (EFs) are top-down cognitive processes essential for adaptive behavior and goal-directed actions, supported by prefrontal cortical networks. The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) and right orbitofrontal cortex (R-OFC) are key regions implicated in cognitive control and flexible decision-making, respectively. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) offers a non-invasive means to modulate cortical excitability and investigate causal contributions of these regions to EFs. However, findings on the efficacy of tDCS in enhancing EFs remain inconsistent, particularly for tasks that engage multiple executive components simultaneously. Twenty-one healthy male participants completed a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind, crossover study. Each participant underwent two sessions (active tDCS and sham) in counterbalanced order. tDCS stimulation consisted of 2.0 mA anodal tDCS over F3 (L-DLPFC) and cathodal tDCS over Fp2 (R-OFC) for 30 min. EFs were assessed using the Flanker/Reverse Flanker fish task, which engages inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. Also, adverse effects and blinding efficacy were assessed post-stimulation. Computational electric-field modeling revealed peak stimulation under the R-OFC, suggesting diffuse prefrontal modulation rather than focal targeting fo the L-DLPFC. Equivalence testing further indicated that the interaction effects were statistically equivalent within predefined bounds of practical relevance. Response time improved significantly from pre- to post-test across both conditions, but this effect was not modulated by tDCS. Adverse effects were mild and infrequent, with no significant differences between tDCS and sham conditions. In conclusion, anodal stimulation of L-DLPFC combined with cathodal stimulation of R-OFC did not produce meaningful behavioral modulation of EFs performance under the present experimental conditions.
