Examining the Interactions Between Expectations and tDCS Effects on Motor and Cognitive Performance
Background: Despite a growing literature and commercial market, the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) remains questionable. Notably, studies rarely examine factors such as expectations of outcomes, which may influence tDCS response through placebo-like effects. Here we...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-01-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnins.2018.00999/full |
| _version_ | 1818878285265764352 |
|---|---|
| author | Sheida Rabipour Petar Sefik Vidjen Anthony Remaud Patrick S. R. Davidson Patrick S. R. Davidson François Tremblay |
| author_facet | Sheida Rabipour Petar Sefik Vidjen Anthony Remaud Patrick S. R. Davidson Patrick S. R. Davidson François Tremblay |
| author_sort | Sheida Rabipour |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Despite a growing literature and commercial market, the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) remains questionable. Notably, studies rarely examine factors such as expectations of outcomes, which may influence tDCS response through placebo-like effects. Here we sought to determine whether expectations could influence the behavioral outcomes of a tDCS intervention.Methods: Through an initial study and self-replication, we recruited 121 naïve young adults 18–34 years of age (M = 21.14, SD = 3.58; 88 women). We evaluated expectations of tDCS and of motor and cognitive performance at three times: (i) at baseline; (ii) after being primed to have High or Low expectations of outcomes; and (iii) after a single session of sham-controlled anodal tDCS over the left or right motor cortex. Before and after stimulation, participants performed the Grooved Pegboard Test and a choice reaction time task as measures of motor dexterity, response time, and response inhibition.Results: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that participants had varying, largely uncertain, expectations regarding tDCS effectiveness at baseline. Expectation ratings significantly increased or decreased in response to High or Low priming, respectively, and decreased following the intervention. Response times and accuracy on motor and cognitive measures were largely unaffected by expectation or stimulation conditions. Overall, our analysis revealed no effect attributable to baseline expectations, belief of group assignment, or experimental condition on behavioral outcomes. Subjective experience did not differ based on expectation or stimulation condition.Conclusions: Our results suggest no clear effects of tDCS or of expectations on our performance measures, highlighting the need for further investigations of such stimulation methods. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T14:11:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a58e703db69241dd896ce8e558708462 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-453X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T14:11:45Z |
| publishDate | 2019-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-a58e703db69241dd896ce8e5587084622022-12-21T20:18:07ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neuroscience1662-453X2019-01-011210.3389/fnins.2018.00999422575Examining the Interactions Between Expectations and tDCS Effects on Motor and Cognitive PerformanceSheida Rabipour0Petar Sefik Vidjen1Anthony Remaud2Patrick S. R. Davidson3Patrick S. R. Davidson4François Tremblay5School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaBruyère Research Institute, Bruyère Continuing Care, Ottawa, ON, CanadaSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaBruyère Research Institute, Bruyère Continuing Care, Ottawa, ON, CanadaBruyère Research Institute, Bruyère Continuing Care, Ottawa, ON, CanadaBackground: Despite a growing literature and commercial market, the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) remains questionable. Notably, studies rarely examine factors such as expectations of outcomes, which may influence tDCS response through placebo-like effects. Here we sought to determine whether expectations could influence the behavioral outcomes of a tDCS intervention.Methods: Through an initial study and self-replication, we recruited 121 naïve young adults 18–34 years of age (M = 21.14, SD = 3.58; 88 women). We evaluated expectations of tDCS and of motor and cognitive performance at three times: (i) at baseline; (ii) after being primed to have High or Low expectations of outcomes; and (iii) after a single session of sham-controlled anodal tDCS over the left or right motor cortex. Before and after stimulation, participants performed the Grooved Pegboard Test and a choice reaction time task as measures of motor dexterity, response time, and response inhibition.Results: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that participants had varying, largely uncertain, expectations regarding tDCS effectiveness at baseline. Expectation ratings significantly increased or decreased in response to High or Low priming, respectively, and decreased following the intervention. Response times and accuracy on motor and cognitive measures were largely unaffected by expectation or stimulation conditions. Overall, our analysis revealed no effect attributable to baseline expectations, belief of group assignment, or experimental condition on behavioral outcomes. Subjective experience did not differ based on expectation or stimulation condition.Conclusions: Our results suggest no clear effects of tDCS or of expectations on our performance measures, highlighting the need for further investigations of such stimulation methods.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnins.2018.00999/fullcognitive enhancementexpectationnon-invasive brain stimulationplacebo effecttranscranial direct current stimulation |
| spellingShingle | Sheida Rabipour Petar Sefik Vidjen Anthony Remaud Patrick S. R. Davidson Patrick S. R. Davidson François Tremblay Examining the Interactions Between Expectations and tDCS Effects on Motor and Cognitive Performance Frontiers in Neuroscience cognitive enhancement expectation non-invasive brain stimulation placebo effect transcranial direct current stimulation |
| title | Examining the Interactions Between Expectations and tDCS Effects on Motor and Cognitive Performance |
| title_full | Examining the Interactions Between Expectations and tDCS Effects on Motor and Cognitive Performance |
| title_fullStr | Examining the Interactions Between Expectations and tDCS Effects on Motor and Cognitive Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Examining the Interactions Between Expectations and tDCS Effects on Motor and Cognitive Performance |
| title_short | Examining the Interactions Between Expectations and tDCS Effects on Motor and Cognitive Performance |
| title_sort | examining the interactions between expectations and tdcs effects on motor and cognitive performance |
| topic | cognitive enhancement expectation non-invasive brain stimulation placebo effect transcranial direct current stimulation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnins.2018.00999/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sheidarabipour examiningtheinteractionsbetweenexpectationsandtdcseffectsonmotorandcognitiveperformance AT petarsefikvidjen examiningtheinteractionsbetweenexpectationsandtdcseffectsonmotorandcognitiveperformance AT anthonyremaud examiningtheinteractionsbetweenexpectationsandtdcseffectsonmotorandcognitiveperformance AT patricksrdavidson examiningtheinteractionsbetweenexpectationsandtdcseffectsonmotorandcognitiveperformance AT patricksrdavidson examiningtheinteractionsbetweenexpectationsandtdcseffectsonmotorandcognitiveperformance AT francoistremblay examiningtheinteractionsbetweenexpectationsandtdcseffectsonmotorandcognitiveperformance |