Modulating Emotional Experience Using Electrical Stimulation of the Medial-Prefrontal Cortex: A Preliminary tDCS-fMRI Study

Abend, Rany; Sar-el, Roy; Gonen, Tal; Strauss, Ido; Vaisvaser, Sharon; Bar‐Haim, Yair; Hendler, Talma

doi:10.1111/ner.12787

Cited by 44 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Comparable effects were found during the processing of happy compared to fearful faces [15]. In addition, several studies from other groups point to a more general modulation capability of vmPFC by tDCS that is not limited to the mere viewing of emotional stimuli [16][17][18][19][20]. All these studies investigated effects of a single tDCS session.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeated noninvasive stimulation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex reveals cumulative amplification of pleasant compared to unpleasant scene processing: A single subject pilot study

et al. 2020

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The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is a major hub of the reward system and has been shown to activate specifically in response to pleasant / rewarding stimuli. Previous studies demonstrate enhanced pleasant cue reactivity after single applications of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the vmPFC. Here we present a pilot case study in which we assess the cumulative impact of multiple consecutive vmPFC-tDCS sessions on the processing of visual emotional stimuli in an event-related MEG recording design. The results point to stable modulation of increased positivity biases (pleasant > unpleasant stimulus signal strength) after excitatory vmPFC stimulation and a reversed pattern (pleasant < unpleasant) after inhibitory stimulation across five consecutive tDCS sessions. Moreover, cumulative effects of these emotional bias modulations were observable for several sourcelocalized spatio-temporal clusters, suggesting an increase in modulatory efficiency by repeated tDCS sessions. This pilot study provides evidence for improvements in the effectiveness and utility of a novel tDCS paradigm in the context of emotional processing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Repeated noninvasive stimulation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex reveals cumulative amplification of pleasant compared to unpleasant scene processing: A single subject pilot study

et al. 2020

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“…The present study has several strengths. First, to our knowledge only a few studies focus on increasing empathic abilities [62][63][64][65][66][67][68] or modulate externalizing behavior [69][70][71][72], but none of the studies focus on the implication of tDCS in a forensic sample. These individuals are in need of effective care, and by modulating the brain activity this can be a first step towards a new treatment program.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there seems to be a clear association between empathy and vmPFC function, only a few studies have investigated modulation of the vmPFC. Abend and colleagues [68] show in their study combining tDCS and fMRI that stimulating with tDCS demonstrated increased emotion-related activation in the vmPFC. Two studies show that anodal stimulation of the (right) vmPFC increases empathic ability and morality [67,68].…”

Section: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Tdcs)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Abend and colleagues [68] show in their study combining tDCS and fMRI that stimulating with tDCS demonstrated increased emotion-related activation in the vmPFC. Two studies show that anodal stimulation of the (right) vmPFC increases empathic ability and morality [67,68]. Furthermore, the study of Gilam and 6 colleagues [69] used tDCS simultaneously with fMRI and demonstrates that activity of the vmPFC was increased during active compared to sham stimulation.…”

Section: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Tdcs)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) as an intervention to improve empathic abilities and reduce violent behavior in forensic offenders: study protocol for a randomized controlled trail.

Sergiou

Woods

Franken

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Background Recent studies show that changes in one of the brain areas related to empathic abilities (i.e. the Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vmPFC)) plays an important role in violent behavior in abusers of alcohol and cocaine. According to the models of James Blair, empathy is a potential inhibitor of violent behavior. Individuals with less empathic abilities may be less susceptible and motivated to inhibit violent behavior, which causes a higher risk of violence. Recent neuroscientific research shows that modulating (stimulation or inhibition) certain brain areas could be a promising new intervention for substance abuse and to reduce violent behavior, such as the neurostimulation technique Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS). This study aims to investigate tDCS as an intervention to increase empathic abilities and reduce violent behavior in forensic substance use offenders. Methods/design A total sample of 50 male forensic substance abuse patients (25 active + 25 sham stimulation) will be tested in a double-blind placebo-controlled study, from which half of the patients will receive an active stimulation + treatment as usual (TAU) and the other half will receive a sham stimulation (placebo) + TAU. The patients in the active condition will receive multichannel tDCS stimulation targeting bilateral vmPFC two times a day for 20 minutes for five consecutive days. Before and after the stimulation period, the patients will complete self-report measurements, perform the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP) and a passive viewing empathy task. Resting state electroencephalography (rsEEG) will be measured before and after the treatment period. A follow-up will be conducted after six months. Primary outcome is to investigate multichannel tDCS as a new intervention to increase empathic abilities and wit that reduce violent behavior in offenders with substance abuse problems. In addition, it will be studied whether electrophysiological responses in the brain are affected by the tDCS intervention. Lastly the effects of tDCS on reducing craving will be investigated. Discussion This study protocol describes the design of an intervention using multichannel tDCS targeting the vmPFC. This study will explore the opportunities to introduce a new intervention to improve empathic abilities and reduce violence in forensic substance use offenders. In addition, this study may help to reduce craving. The study will contribute to knowledge about increasing empathic abilities and the functioning of the vmPFC. Specifically, this study may give insight in how to implement the tDCS intervention in the setting of daily clinical practice for this complex, multiple problem target group and with that contribute to reduction of recidivism. Trial registration Dutch Trial Register, identifier: NTR7701. Registered on 12 January 2019; prospectively registered before the recruitment phase. https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7459

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“…Based on past research (Mulder et al, 1994; Ward et al, 2018; Quilty et al, 2017; Seon-Young et al, 2007), we investigated the possibility of predicting rTMS response using temperament and character inventory (TCI) trait parameters. We also expected temporary coupling changes in the sgACC to correspond to differences in self-rated emotional state (Abend et al, 2018; Drevets et al, 2008; Nitsche et al, 2012; Mondino et al, 2015: Leyman et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resting state fMRI based target selection for personalized rTMS: stimulation over the left DLPFC temporarily alters the default mode network in healthy subjects

Singh¹,

Erwin-Grabner²,

Sutcliffe³

et al. 2018

Preprint

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High frequency repetitive TMS (HF-rTMS) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is an approved option for the treatment of depression, but there is also much variability in the resulting antidepressant response. This variability is believed to arise from various factors, an important one of which being the method by which rTMS is targeted to the optimal stimulation site in the left DLPFC. To more accurately target HF-rTMS at left DLPFC, we present a new method for target selection based on individual RS-fMRI data. We show in 23 healthy subjects that the new proposed method of target selection is reproducible and yields left DLPFC targets whose functional connectivity correlates more negatively with subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC) than targets based on standard MNI coordinates. Since previous work has highlighted higher negative connectivity with the sgACC as an important feature of targets for higher antidepressant effect of HF-rTMS, the targets selected by the new method can be expected to lead to a higher therapeutic response. Additionally, the mechanism of action of an entire single session of HF-rTMS (3000 pulses) in healthy subjects has not been reported. We show significant decreases in functional connectivity of the default mode network in sgACC and ventral striatum (vStr) regions, peaking at 27-32 minutes after stimulation. Also, we report a negative correlation between the magnitude of this decrease in the right sgACC and the harm avoidance domain measure from the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). This finding points towards the possibility of using the harm avoidance measure as a predictor of HF-rTMS response. In addition, the decreased functional connectivity of the default mode network in right nucleus accumbens (NAcc) correlates with a short-term decrease in self-rated negative emotions from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) i.e. the lower the functional connectivity of right NAcc with the default mode network, the lower the reported perception of negative mood by the subjects. This suggests a mechanism by which changes induced by rTMS influence the perception of negative mood in recipients.

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Modulating Emotional Experience Using Electrical Stimulation of the Medial-Prefrontal Cortex: A Preliminary tDCS-fMRI Study

Abstract: Results of this study indicate the potential capacity of tDCS to facilitate brain activation in mPFC regions underlying implicit regulation of emotion and accordingly modulate subjective emotional experiences.

Cited by 44 publications

References 96 publications

Repeated noninvasive stimulation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex reveals cumulative amplification of pleasant compared to unpleasant scene processing: A single subject pilot study

Repeated noninvasive stimulation of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex reveals cumulative amplification of pleasant compared to unpleasant scene processing: A single subject pilot study

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) as an intervention to improve empathic abilities and reduce violent behavior in forensic offenders: study protocol for a randomized controlled trail.

Resting state fMRI based target selection for personalized rTMS: stimulation over the left DLPFC temporarily alters the default mode network in healthy subjects

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