Abstract
The processing of self-referential information can be influenced by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The present randomized controlled study investigated whether similar effects can be elicited through the application of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) regarding the “self-serving bias” (SSB) and the “mnemic neglect effect” (MNE). Seventy-five healthy males (Mage = 25; SD = 4.3) were investigated in a between-groups design with random assignment by applying anodal, cathodal, or sham tDCS to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). After stimulation, the participants judged if 80 personality traits (40 positive, 40 negative) were self-descriptive or not. Finally, the participants had to recall the previously presented adjectives. All three stimulation groups showed the expected SSB and MNE. Still, and contrary to our hypotheses, tDCS revealed neither a significant interaction effect between groups and valence concerning the number of chosen self-referential traits (F(2,72) = 1.36, p = 0.26, = 0.02) nor an interaction effect between groups, valence, and self-reference concerning the percentage of recalled words (F(2,71) = 0.69, p = 0.50, = 0.01). However, a post hoc inspection of effect sizes revealed that less negative traits were indicated as self-referential in the anodal compared to the cathodal group (ES: −0.59; CI: −1.16 to −0.03). Moreover, the participants showed—regardless of self-reference and type of stimulation—a better recall with tDCS in comparison to sham stimulation. Our results indicate that tDCS of the mPFC in healthy young men has no influence on the SSB and the MNE. However, tDCS seems to improve memory performance.
Highlights
The ‘‘self ’’ is a relatively vaguely defined concept subsuming perception and knowledge about one’s self as a person such as knowledge about one’s personal characteristics, preferences, emotions, and behavior
Studies report the ‘‘mnemic neglect effect’’ (MNE), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS): Non-effect on Self-referential Processes which comprises that people remember more positive as compared to negative self-referential traits (Sedikides and Green, 2009; Pinter et al, 2011)
Functional neuroimaging studies have identified a central role of the medial prefrontal cortex in self-processing
Summary
The ‘‘self ’’ is a relatively vaguely defined concept subsuming perception and knowledge about one’s self as a person such as knowledge about one’s personal characteristics, preferences, emotions, and behavior. Studies report the ‘‘mnemic neglect effect’’ (MNE), tDCS: Non-effect on Self-referential Processes which comprises that people remember more positive as compared to negative self-referential traits (Sedikides and Green, 2009; Pinter et al, 2011) These self-referential biases have attracted the attention of cognitive neuroscientists who want to identify the neural systems underlying the processing of self-relevant information. In a meta-analysis, Qin and Northoff (2011) found that neural activity in the cortical midline regions is self-specific and related to resting state activity This meta-analysis has likewise reported an important and ‘‘unspecific’’ role for mPFC and posterior cingulate cortex in self-referential processing in the sense that these regions were recruited during the processing of self-specific (e.g., own name) and familiar stimuli (i.e., stimuli from personally known people) in comparison to non-self or non-familiar stimuli. This meta-analysis has likewise reported an important and ‘‘unspecific’’ role for mPFC and posterior cingulate cortex in self-referential processing in the sense that these regions were recruited during the processing of self-specific (e.g., own name) and familiar stimuli (i.e., stimuli from personally known people) in comparison to non-self or non-familiar stimuli. Qin and Northoff (2011) suggest that the mPFC enables a ‘‘metarepresentation’’ of stimuli required during judgments about one’s own traits
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