Domain-specific suppression of auditory mismatch negativity with transcranial direct current stimulation

J C Chen; D Hämmerer; G Strigaro; L M Liou; C H Tsai; J C Rothwell; M J Edwards

doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2013.08.007

Domain-specific suppression of auditory mismatch negativity with transcranial direct current stimulation

Clin Neurophysiol. 2014 Mar;125(3):585-92. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2013.08.007. Epub 2013 Sep 16.

Authors

J C Chen¹, D Hämmerer², G Strigaro³, L M Liou⁴, C H Tsai⁵, J C Rothwell³, M J Edwards⁶

Affiliations

¹ Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK; Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neurology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
² Department of Psychology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
³ Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
⁴ Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung 812, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
⁵ Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neurology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁶ Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. Electronic address: m.j.edwards@ucl.ac.uk.

PMID: 24051072
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2013.08.007

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the influence of frontal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on auditory mismatch negativity (MMN).

Methods: MMN is an event related potential calculated by subtracting the amplitude of the evoked potentials in response to a "standard" stimulus from the evoked potentials produced by a rare "oddball" stimulus. Here we assessed the influence of anodal tDCS, cathodal tDCS or sham stimulation delivered over the right inferior frontal cortex on MMN in response to duration and frequency auditory deviants in 10 healthy subjects.

Results: MMN to frequency deviants was significantly reduced after anodal tDCS compared with sham or cathodal stimulation which did not change MMN to frequency deviants. Neither anodal nor cathodal tDCS had any effect on MMN to duration deviants.

Conclusions: Non-invasive brain stimulation with tDCS can influence MMN. The differing networks known to be activated by duration and frequency deviants could account for the differential effect of tDCS on duration and frequency MMN.

Significance: Non-invasive brain stimulation could be a useful method to manipulate MMN for experimental purposes.

Keywords: Event-related potentials (ERP); Mismatch negativity (MMN); Neuroplasticity; Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Electric Stimulation*
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potentials, Auditory*
Female
Frontal Lobe / physiology*
Humans
Male
Young Adult