WHEN BRAIN STIMULATION BACKFIRES

• Main Author: Bell, Sarah Beth
• Format: Others
• Published: UKnowledge 2019
• Subjects: tDCS; reverse effects; dopamine; brain stimulation; impulsivity; Neurosciences; Social Psychology
• Online Access: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_etds/159; https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1160&context=psychology_etds

tDCS brain stimulation does not always work in the intended direction. It has been found to sometimes worsen behavior rather than improve it. A preliminary study shows that people high on sensation-seeking and lack of premeditation were prone to reverse effects of tDCS on performance on a Stop Signal Task. Both of these constructs are related to dopamine levels. Study 2 seeks to intentionally cause a reverse effect of tDCS by increasing participants’ dopamine levels via caffeine. There was not a significant interaction between tDCS and caffeine on errors on the Stop Signal Task in this study. However, other factors interacted with tDCS and caffeine including lack of premeditation. This two study package suggests the effects of tDCS are variable across individuals, with personality and neurochemistry both affecting behavioral outcomes of tDCS.