Research Colloquium Neural Basis of Learning

22.05.2026

Assessing the role of anodal prefrontal direct current stimulation in rescuing stress-induced working memory deficits. 

Abstract:
Acute stress and elevated arousal significantly disrupt working memory (WM), often compromising the prefrontal networks necessary for executive control. We investigated whether anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can mitigate these deficits by targeting the prefrontal cortex. In Study 1, we induced stress via an aversive video paradigm and WM performance was assessed using a verbal n-back task. Physiological markers of stress were collected at different time points. Three stimulation groups (anodal vmPFC, anodal dlPFC and sham) and two emotional sessions (neutral and aversive clips) were compared. Results demonstrated that stress impaired performance during high-load tasks in sham conditions, an effect accompanied by elevated cortisol and heart rate. In addition, vmPFC stimulation significantly improved WM performance. Tthis rescue was driven by a decreased P200 ERP component and higher task-related alpha desynchronization. In Study 2, a similar task and stress induction paradigm were used concurrently during fMRI. Active vmPFC stimulation improved WM performance at the 2-back load. Connectivity analyses revealed that stimulation reduced coupling between prefrontal regulatory regions and sensory-processing areas, while increasing connectivity in circuits associated with phonological processing. Furthermore, BOLD data showed that vmPFC stimulation attenuated arousal-related reductions in visual cortical activity. Together, these findings suggest that tDCS over vmPFC can be a critical target for interventions aimed at stress-related cognitive impairment. Reducing task-irrelevant distractions and restoring PFC top-down control enhances task-relevant processing.

Speaker:

• Sumit Roy, PhD. (Center of Medical Psychology and Translational Neuroscience, RUB)

Venue:
GA 04/187 or Zoom: https://ruhr-uni-bochum.zoom-x.de/j/61984366303?pwd=OUtZcENqdFBPK3VBL3ZIdVNtSmVuQT09

Starting time:
12:00 PM