Investigating the effects of cerebellar transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on saccadic adaptation and cortisol response

Gheorghe, Delia, Panouilleres, Muriel and Walsh, Nicholas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8195-7933 (2021) Investigating the effects of cerebellar transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on saccadic adaptation and cortisol response. Cerebellum & Ataxias, 8. ISSN 2053-8871

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Abstract

Background: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) over the prefrontal cortex has been shown to modulate subjective, neuronal and neuroendocrine responses, particularly in the context of stress processing. However, it is currently unknown whether tDCS stimulation over other brain regions, such as the cerebellum, can similarly affect the stress response. Despite increasing evidence linking the cerebellum to stress-related processing, no studies have investigated the hormonal and behavioural effects of cerebellar tDCS. Methods: This study tested the hypothesis of a cerebellar tDCS effect on mood, behaviour and cortisol. To do this we employed a single-blind, sham-controlled design to measure performance on a cerebellar-dependent saccadic adaptation task, together with changes in cortisol output and mood, during online anodal and cathodal stimulation. Forty-five participants were included in the analysis. Stimulation groups were matched on demographic variables, potential confounding factors known to affect cortisol levels, mood and a number of personality characteristics. Results: Results showed that tDCS polarity did not affect cortisol levels or subjective mood, but did affect behaviour. Participants receiving anodal stimulation showed an 8.4% increase in saccadic adaptation, which was significantly larger compared to the cathodal group (1.6%). Conclusion: The stimulation effect on saccadic adaptation contributes to the current body of literature examining the mechanisms of cerebellar stimulation on associated function. We conclude that further studies are needed to understand whether and how cerebellar tDCS may module stress reactivity under challenge conditions.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	cerebellum,cortisol,saccadic adaptation,transcranial direct current stimulation,clinical neurology ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2700/2728
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Psychology
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Developmental Science Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Cognition, Action and Perception
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	06 Jan 2021 00:58
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2022 07:31
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/78051
DOI:	10.1186/s40673-020-00124-y

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