Transcranial direct current stimulation modulates ERP-indexed inhibitory control and reduces food consumption

Lapenta O.M.; Sierve K.D.; de Macedo E.C.; Fregni F.; Boggio P.S.

Transcranial direct current stimulation modulates ERP-indexed inhibitory control and reduces food consumption

Tipo

Artigo

Data de publicação

2014

Periódico

Appetite

Citações (Scopus)

113

Autores

Lapenta O.M.
Sierve K.D.
de Macedo E.C.
Fregni F.
Boggio P.S.

Resumo

Food craving can be defined as the "urge to eat a specific food". Previous findings suggest impairment of inhibitory control, specifically a regulatory deficit in the lateral prefrontal circuitry that is associated with a compulsion for food. As demonstrated by three previous studies, bilateral transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) (anode right/cathode left) reduces food craving and caloric intake. We designed the present study to evaluate the neural mechanisms that underlie these effects. We replicated the design of one of these previous studies but included electroencephalographic assessments to register evoked potentials in a Go/No-go task that contained pictures of food and furniture (a control visual stimulus). We collected data from nine women (mean age = 23.4 ± 2 years) in a crossover experiment. We observed that active DLPFC tDCS (anode right/cathode left), compared with sham stimulation, reduced the frontal N2 component and enhanced the P3a component of responses to No-go stimuli, regardless of the stimulus condition (food or furniture). Active tDCS was also associated with a reduction in caloric intake. We discuss our findings in the context of cortico-subcortical processing of craving and tDCS effects on inhibitory control neural circuitry. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Assuntos Scopus

Adult , Appetite , Craving , Cross-Over Studies , Cues , Electroencephalography , Energy Intake , Evoked Potentials , Feeding Behavior , Female , Food , Humans , Inhibition (Psychology) , Prefrontal Cortex , Social Control, Informal , Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation , Young Adult