Abstract
The study compared effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of Broca’s area and of its right-hemispheric homologue on the acquisition of novel concrete and abstract words. Word/concept acquisition was achieved through reading sets of sentences, which incorporated novel words, gradually revealing their meaning through context. Before the learning session, a 15-minute anodal or cathodal stimulation of one of the target areas was applied. Lexical decision task was used to assess the learning outcomes immediately after the learning session and 24 hours later. The results showed a larger number of correct responses after right-hemispheric tDCS, in comparison with that of Broca’s area in the left hemisphere. These results suggest that the right-hemispheric counterpart of Broca’s areas is involved in the processing and acquisition of new concrete and abstract semantics. Furthermore, they demonstrate facilitatory effects of tDCS on the processes of overnight consolidation of newly formed word memory traces.
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