Effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on prospective memory in healthy individuals: A double-blind randomized sham-controlled trial


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Aksu S., Özsayın E., Aslan A. E., Kaya Y., KARAMÜRSEL S.

Adıyaman Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, vol.10, no.1, pp.24-34, 2024 (Peer-Reviewed Journal) identifier

Abstract

Aim: Prospective memory (PM) has an immense role in the activities of daily living and deficits of PM are common in various neuropsychiatric disorders. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a neuromodulatory technique that yields favorable outcomes yet only a few studies concerning PM with hindering results exist. The present double-blind cross-over randomized sham-controlled study aimed to assess the effect of a single-session of left-righr/sham tDCS over the prefrontal cortex on event-related PM in healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: 24 participants were administered a single session of 2 mA 20-minute left/right anodal or sham tDCS segregated by 7 days. An event-based PM task was utilized before and after tDCS every week to evaluate PM. Results: No effects of tDCS on PM were found. Conclusion: The present results argue against the effect of a single-session of tDCS over the prefrontal cortices on event-related PM. TDCS studies adopting divergent parameters are required.