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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Neuropsychiatric Disorders pp 585–597Cite as

Cognitive Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Clinical Trials

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Abstract

Neurocognitive dysfunction is a common comorbidity for many neuropsychiatric disorders for which there is still no effective treatment. The investigation of neurocognitive effects in clinical trials has provided a valuable opportunity to evaluate the potential efficacy of tDCS for producing cognitive-enhancing effects. In this chapter, we describe the effects of tDCS on cognition, as reported in modern clinical trials and provide an overview and discussion of acute and potential lasting neurocognitive effects. We also include recent studies which have aimed to further enhance tDCS’ neurocognitive effects with concurrent cognitive training. Trials in depression have tended to provide evidence that a single session of tDCS has some cognitive benefits, particularly in relation to “cognitive control” and complex attention functions. In contrast, research has failed to provide compelling evidence for cognitive-enhancing effects from repeated tDCS sessions independent from mood improvement, primarily in people with depression. Nonetheless, preliminary clinical trials combining repeated tDCS with adjunctive “online” tasks have greater potential for producing cognitive benefit than what has been so far seen with repeated tDCS given alone.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Black Dog Institute, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Donel M. Martin & Adriano H. Moffa

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  1. Donel M. Martin
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  2. Adriano H. Moffa
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Correspondence to Donel M. Martin .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    André R. Brunoni

  2. Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany

    Michael A. Nitsche

  3. Black Dog Institute & School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia

    Colleen K. Loo

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Martin, D.M., Moffa, A.H. (2021). Cognitive Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Clinical Trials. In: Brunoni, A.R., Nitsche, M.A., Loo, C.K. (eds) Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76136-3_29

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76136-3_29

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-76136-3

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