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01-08-2015 | Psychiatry and Preclinical Psychiatric Studies - Original Article

Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on MMN-indexed auditory discrimination: a pilot study

Authors: Danielle Impey, Verner Knott

Published in: Journal of Neural Transmission | Issue 8/2015

Abstract

Membrane potentials and brain plasticity are basic modes of cerebral information processing. Both can be externally (non-invasively) modulated by weak transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Polarity-dependent tDCS-induced reversible circumscribed increases and decreases in cortical excitability and functional changes have been observed following stimulation of motor and visual cortices but relatively little research has been conducted with respect to the auditory cortex. The aim of this pilot study was to examine the effects of tDCS on auditory sensory discrimination in healthy participants (N = 12) assessed with the mismatch negativity (MMN) brain event-related potential (ERP). In a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled design, participants received anodal tDCS over the primary auditory cortex (2 mA for 20 min) in one session and ‘sham’ stimulation (i.e., no stimulation except initial ramp-up for 30 s) in the other session. MMN elicited by changes in auditory pitch was found to be enhanced after receiving anodal tDCS compared to ‘sham’ stimulation, with the effects being evidenced in individuals with relatively reduced (vs. increased) baseline amplitudes and with relatively small (vs. large) pitch deviants. Additional studies are needed to further explore relationships between tDCS-related parameters, auditory stimulus features and individual differences prior to assessing the utility of this tool for treating auditory processing deficits in psychiatric and/or neurological disorders.

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Title: Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on MMN-indexed auditory discrimination: a pilot study
Authors: Danielle Impey
Verner Knott
Publication date: 01-08-2015
Publisher: Springer Vienna
Published in: Journal of Neural Transmission / Issue 8/2015
Print ISSN: 0300-9564
Electronic ISSN: 1435-1463
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-015-1365-9

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Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on MMN-indexed auditory discrimination: a pilot study

Abstract

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Springer Medicine

Abstract

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