Effects of Cerebellar tDCS on Inhibitory Control: Evidence from a Go/NoGo Task
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Effects of Cerebellar tDCS on Inhibitory Control: Evidence from a Go/NoGo Task Daniela Mannarelli 1 & Caterina Pauletti 1 & Alessia Petritis 1 & Roberto Delle Chiaie 1 & Antonio Currà 2 & Carlo Trompetto 3,4 & Francesco Fattapposta 1
# The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Response inhibition as an executive function refers to the ability to suppress inappropriate but prepotent responses. Several brain regions have been implicated in the process underlying inhibitory control, including the cerebellum. The aim of the present study was to explore the role of the cerebellum in executive functioning, particularly in response inhibition. For this purpose, we transitorily inhibited cerebellar activity by means of cathodal tDCS and studied the effects of this inhibition on ERP components elicited during a Go/NoGo task in healthy subjects. Sixteen healthy subjects underwent a Go/NoGo task prior to and after cathodal and sham cerebellar tDCS in separate sessions. A reduction in N2-NoGo amplitude and a prolongation in N2-NoGo latency emerged after cathodal tDCS whereas no differences were detected after sham stimulation. Moreover, commission errors in NoGo trials were significantly higher after cathodal tDCS than at the basal evaluation. No differences emerged between performances in Go trials and those after sham stimulation. These data indicate that cerebellar inhibition following cathodal stimulation alters the ability to allocate attentional resources to stimuli containing conflict information and the inhibitory control. The cerebellum may regulate the attentional mechanisms of stimulus orientation and inhibitory control both directly, by making predictions of errors or behaviors related to errors, and indirectly, by controlling the functioning of the cerebral cortical areas involved in the perception of conflict signals and of the basal ganglia involved in the inhibitory control of movement. Keywords Cerebellum . Healthy subjects . Cognition . Go/NoGo . tDCS
Introduction Response inhibition refers to the ability to suppress inappropriate but prepotent responses [1, 2]. Several brain regions, including the ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, the
supplementary motor area (SMA) [3–6], the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), have been implicated in the process underlying response inhibition [7–9]. Previous studies have pointed to a possible role of the cerebellum in executive functioning, specifically in response
* Daniela Mannarelli [email protected] Caterina Pauletti [email protected] Alessia Petritis [email protected] Roberto Delle Chiaie [email protected]
Francesco Fattapposta [email protected] 1
Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, Rome, Italy
2
Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, A. Fiorini Hospital, Terracina, LT, Sapienza University of Rome, Polo Pontino, Latina, Italy
3
Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitat
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