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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Dec 17;10(12):e0144838.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144838. eCollection 2015.

Modulating Memory Performance in Healthy Subjects with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

Daniela Smirni  1   2 , Patrizia Turriziani  1   2 , Giuseppa Renata Mangano  1   2 , Lisa Cipolotti  1   2   3 , Massimiliano Oliveri  1   2   4
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Modulating Memory Performance in Healthy Subjects with Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Over the Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

Daniela Smirni et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objective: The role of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) in recognition memory has been well documented in lesion, neuroimaging and repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) studies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) over the left and the right DLPFC during the delay interval of a non-verbal recognition memory task.

Method: 36 right-handed young healthy subjects participated in the study. The experimental task was an Italian version of Recognition Memory Test for unknown faces. Study included two experiments: in a first experiment, each subject underwent one session of sham tDCS and one session of left or right cathodal tDCS; in a second experiment each subject underwent one session of sham tDCS and one session of left or right anodal tDCS.

Results: Cathodal tDCS over the right DLPFC significantly improved non verbal recognition memory performance, while cathodal tDCS over the left DLPFC had no effect. Anodal tDCS of both the left and right DLPFC did not modify non verbal recognition memory performance.

Conclusion: Complementing the majority of previous studies, reporting long term memory facilitations following left prefrontal anodal tDCS, the present findings show that cathodal tDCS of the right DLPFC can also improve recognition memory in healthy subjects.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. percentage of hits following sham and real cathodal tDCS of the right (white bars) and left (black bars) DLPFC.
Error bars represent 1 SE of mean.
Fig 2
Fig 2. percentage of hits following sham and real anodal tDCS of the right (white bars) and left (black bars) DLPFC.
Error bars represent 1 SE of mean.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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