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


CONCLUSIONS
Non-invasive brain stimulation could be a useful method to manipulate MMN for experimental purposes.
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.
J C
JC
Chen
Department of Psychology, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
D
D
Hämmerer
Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
G
G
Strigaro
Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Municipal Hsiao-Kang Hospital, Kaohsiung 812, Taiwan; Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan.
L M
LM
Liou
Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Neurology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
C H
CH
Tsai
Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
J C
JC
Rothwell
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.
M J
MJ
Edwards
D000328:Adult; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
Event-related potentials (ERP); Mismatch negativity (MMN); Neuroplasticity; Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)