title: The uncertain outcome of prefrontal tDCS.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is increasingly used in research and clinical settings, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is often chosen as a target for stimulation. While numerous studies report modulation of cognitive abilities following DLPFC stimulation, the wide array of cognitive functions that can be modulated makes it difficult to predict its precise outcome.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present review aims at identifying and characterizing the various cognitive domains affected by tDCS over DLPFC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Articles using tDCS over DLPFC indexed in PubMed and published between January 2000 and January 2014 were included in the present review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  tDCS over DLPFC affects a wide array of cognitive functions, with sometimes apparent conflicting results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prefrontal tDCS has the potential to modulate numerous cognitive functions simultaneously, but to properly interpret the results, a clear a priori hypothesis is necessary, careful technical consideration are mandatory, further insights into the neurobiological impact of tDCS are needed, and consideration should be given to the possibility that some behavioral effects may be partly explained by parallel modulation of related functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University de Montreal, Canada; Research Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tremblay
authors.affiliation: Neuromodulation Laboratory, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lepage
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University de Montreal, Canada; Research Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Latulipe-Loiselle
authors.affiliation: Neuromodulation Laboratory, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: Felipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fregni
authors.affiliation: Berenson Allen Center for Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, USA.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pascual-Leone
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University de Montreal, Canada; Research Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada. Electronic address: hugo.theoret@umontreal.ca.
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Théoret
mesh_terms: D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; D035501:Uncertainty
keywords: Cognition; Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; Executive functions; Neurostimulation; Transcranial direct current stimulation