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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2006 Mar;31(2):101-4.

Increased positive emotional memory after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the orbitofrontal cortex

Dennis J L G Schutter  1 , Jack van Honk
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Increased positive emotional memory after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation over the orbitofrontal cortex

Dennis J L G Schutter et al. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2006 Mar.

Abstract
in English, French

Objective: Several studies have demonstrated increased left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) activity during negative and depressed mood. These mood states have also been associated with reduced memory for positive emotional stimuli. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether slow, inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left OFC would improve memory for positive material.

Methods: We carried out a study with a double-blind, within-subjects design, in which 12 healthy volunteers received 20 minutes of slow rTMS over the left OFC, placebo treatment over the left OFC and rTMS over the left dorsolateral portion of the prefrontal cortex. Effects on memory for fearful and happy faces were investigated.

Results: Memory for happy faces was significantly improved after rTMS over the left OFC compared with placebo (t10 = 2.4, p = 0.037).

Conclusions: These findings suggest a role of the OFC in positive emotional memory, which is in accordance with neuroimaging and neuropsychological data. It may be argued that dense projections from the OFC to the limbic emotional circuit are involved in emotional memory and, therefore, play a role in the effects of rTMS that we observed.

Objectif: Plusieurs études ont démontré une augmentation de l'activité du cortex orbitofrontal gauche (COF) pendant des périodes d'humeur dépressive et négative. Ces états de l'humeur ont également été associés à une mémoire réduite des stimuli émotionnels positifs. Le but de la présente étude était de chercher à savoir si la magnéto-stimulation transcrânienne répétitive inhibitrice lente (MSTr) sur le COF gauche améliorerait la mémoire des stimuli positifs.

Méthodes: Nous avons procédé à une étude à double insu, chez les sujets mêmes, dans laquelle 12 volontaires en bonne santé ont reçu durant 20 minutes une MSTr lente sur le COF gauche, un traitement placebo sur le COF gauche et une MSTr sur la portion dorsolatérale gauche du cortex préfrontal. On a étudié les effets sur la mémoire de visages craintifs et souriants.

Résultats: Il y a eu une amélioration significative de la mémoire des visages souriants après une MSTr sur le COF gauche par rapport au traitement placebo (t10 = 2,4, p = 0,037).

Conclusions: Ces résultats tendent à suggérer que le COF joue un rôle dans la mémoire émotionnelle positive, ce qui correspond aux données neuroradiologiques et neuropsychologiques. On peut donc affirmer que des projections de forte densité provenant du COF vers le circuit émotionnel limbique sont en jeu dans la mémoire émotionnelle et par conséquent jouent un rôle sur les effets de la MSTr que nous avons observés.

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Figures

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Fig. 1: A prototypical example of a trial during the acquisition phase of the spatial emotional memory task (left). In the relocation phase, the empty grid is presented with the faces displayed on top of the grid (right). Participants can reposition the faces with the computer mouse (“drag and drop”).
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Fig. 2: Means and standard errors of the mean for positive memory bias after placebo rTMS over the left OFC, real rTMS over the left DLPFC and real rTMS over the left OFC. aSignificant increases in positive emotional memory bias were observed after left OFC rTMS as compared with left OFC placebo rTMS. bSignificantly better performance for happy compared with neutral faces (“happy superiority effect”) was observed after left OFC rTMS. DLPFC = dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, OFC = orbitofrontal cortex, rTMS = repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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