Abstract
Memory enhancement is one of the great challenges in cognitive neuroscience and neurorehabilitation. Among various techniques used for memory enhancement, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is emerging as an especially promising tool for improvement of memory functions in a non-invasive manner. Here, we present a tDCS protocol that can be applied for memory enhancement in healthy-participant studies as well as in aging and dementia research. The protocol uses weak constant anodal current to stimulate cortical targets within cortico-hippocampal functional network engaged in memory processes. The target electrode is placed either on the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) or the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), while the return electrode is placed extracranially (i.e., on the contralateral cheek). In addition, we outline a more advanced method of oscillatory tDCS, mimicking a natural brain rhythm to promote hippocampus-dependent memory functions, which can be applied in a personalized and non-personalized manner. We present illustrative results of associative and working memory improvement following single tDCS sessions (20 minutes) in which the described electrode montages were used with current intensities between 1.5 mA and 1.8 mA. Finally, we discuss crucial steps in the protocol and methodological decisions that must be made when designing a tDCS study on memory.
Highlights
Memory plays a vital role in everyday functioning as it enables one to remember information about people and places, recall past events, learn new facts and skills, as well as to make judgments and decisions
Similar protocols have been used in other research laboratories as well. When it comes to working memory, our results have shown that 20-minutes of right frontal Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) (F4 location; constant current of 1.8 mA) enhanced verbal WM, while the same stimulation protocol applied over left parietal cortex (P3 location) resulted in better spatial WM performance
In the series of withinsubject experiments we have shown that 20 minutes of tDCS over left posterior parietal cortex (PPC) (P3 location; constant current of 1.5 mA) improves memory for face-word associations27, 39, 40
Summary
Memory plays a vital role in everyday functioning as it enables one to remember information about people and places, recall past events, learn new facts and skills, as well as to make judgments and decisions. WM provide us with the ability to temporarily maintain and store information for ongoing cognitive processing[1 ], while AM enables us to remember multiple pieces of experience or information bound together. These two types of memory underline almost all Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising tool for tackling memory decline14 , 15 , 16 and gaining better understanding of brain functions in general . The effects of tDCS are polarity-dependent, such that anodal stimulation increases while cathodal decreases neuronal excitability. Anodal tDCS is expected to promote cognitive functions that rely on targeted brain regions and functionally interconnected brain areas, while cathodal tDCS is expected to have the opposite effect
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