Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Applied to the Dorsolateral and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortices in Smokers Modifies Cognitive Circuits Implicated in the Nicotine Withdrawal Syndrome.

Biological Psychiatry : Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging
Sarah Aronson FischellElliot A Stein

Abstract

The nicotine withdrawal syndrome remains a major impediment to smoking cessation. Cognitive and affective disturbances are associated with altered connectivity within and between the executive control network, default mode network (DMN), and salience network. We hypothesized that functional activity in cognitive control networks, and downstream amygdala circuits, would be modified by application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the left (L) dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC, executive control network) and right (R) ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC, DMN). A total of 15 smokers (7 women) and 28 matched nonsmokers (14 women) participated in a randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind, exploratory crossover study of 3 tDCS conditions: anodal-(L)dlPFC/cathodal-(R)vmPFC, reversed polarity, and sham. Cognitive tasks probed withdrawal-related constructs (error monitoring, working memory, amygdalar reactivity), while simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging measured brain activity. We assessed tDCS impact on trait (nonsmokers vs. sated smokers) and state (sated vs. abstinent) smoking aspects. Single-session, anodal-(L)dlPFC/cathodal-(R)vmPFC tDCS enhanced deactivation of DMN nodes during the workin...Continue Reading

Citations

Nov 21, 2020·Psychopharmacology·Britta HahnElliot A Stein

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