Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) alters the pattern of information processing in children with ADHD: Evidence from drift diffusion modeling

Objective: Performance accuracy and reaction time in cognitive tasks are routinely used to evaluate the efficacy of tDCS to affect cognitive task performance. tDCS alters the excitability of targeted brain areas and thereby alters performance of cognitive tasks. The drift diffusion model (DDM) provides some additional measures to explore information processing style, such as (non) decision time, bias for decision, and speed of information processing. DDM parameters are informative for the study of cognitive impairments in children with ADHD. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of tDCS on cognitive performance via DDM measures. Methods: This study conducted DDM modeling and reanalysis of two exploratory, single-blinded, within-subject design experiments, which were published earlier. In the first experiment, twenty-four children with ADHD performed a Go/ No-Go task during anodal or sham tDCS over the right dlPFC. In the second experiment, twenty-five children with ADHD performed the 1 back working memory task during anodal or sham tDCS over the left dlPFC. We reanalyzed the data after DDM modeling. Results: The conventional performance measures revealed no significant effect of tDCS on No Go accuracy in the first experiment and 1-back accuracy in the second experiment. The 1-back reaction time and speed-accuracy tradeoff were however improved under the real stimulation condition. The DDM measures identified increased No-Go- bias and decision time with respect to inhibitory control, and an increased threshold and amount of information required for response in the 1- back test. Conclusion: In children with ADHD, anodal tDCS over the right dlPFC induces more conservative and less impulsive decisions. Furthermore, anodal tDCS over the left dlPFC enhanced efficacy of working memory performance with respect to agility and capacity. The experimental results show that drift diffusion modeling is useful for evaluation of the impact of tDCS on the style of information processing. (c) 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the impact of tDCS on cognitive performance using the drift diffusion model (DDM). The results showed that tDCS can affect decision-making style and information processing ability in children with ADHD.