Premium
Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation of prefrontal cortex on risk‐taking behavior
Author(s) -
Khaleghi Ali,
Pirzad Jahromi Gila,
Zarafshan Hadi,
Mostafavi SeyedAli,
Mohammadi Mohammad Reza
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1111/pcn.13025
Subject(s) - transcranial direct current stimulation , prefrontal cortex , neuroscience , psychology , self reference effect , stimulation , medicine , cognitive psychology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , consumer neuroscience , cognition
Aim Recent cognitive neuroscience research shows that noninvasive brain stimulation can modify a wide range of behaviors in healthy people. Such regulation effects on human behaviors provide new insights into the neurobiology of cognitive processes and establish causal brain–behavior relations. Here, we aimed to examine the effects of transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) of the prefrontal cortex on risk‐taking. Methods We performed a systematic search on the PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases with appropriate keywords for original studies reporting the use of TES to modulate risk‐taking behavior in healthy individuals. Then, in the meta‐analysis phase, a random‐effects model was used to measure the pooled effect size (ES). Results Twenty articles were evaluated as eligible studies, including 16 articles on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), two on transcranial alternating current stimulation, one on transcranial pulsed current stimulation, and one on high‐definition tDCS. A meta‐analysis showed a pooled estimated standardized ES of −0.20 (95% confidence interval [CI], –0.39 to −0.01), which indicates a small ES for active tDCS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in comparison to sham stimulation ( z = 2.31, P = 0.03) in terms of less risky behaviors. Subgroup analysis showed that there is no significant ES for bilateral DLPFC stimulation ( d = −0.01; 95%CI, –0.28 to 0.26), but a significant near‐medium ES for unilateral DLPFC stimulation ( d = −0.41; 95%CI, –0.71 to −0.10). Conclusion Our findings support a significant impact of neuroregulation of the DLPFC on risk‐taking behavior in healthy individuals. Unilateral noninvasive electrical stimulation of the DLPFC can result in a conservative risk‐averse response style, probably through modulating plasticity of the relevant brain networks, including cortical and subcortical structures, as well as increasing subcortical dopaminergic activity.