title: Prefrontocerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation increases amplitude and decreases latency of P3b component in patients with euthymic bipolar disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neurocognitive impairments have been observed in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) even during the euthymic phase of the disease, potentially representing trait-associated rather than state-associated characteristics of the disorder. In the present study, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to cerebellar and prefrontal cortices to improve the neurophysiological performances of patients with euthymic BD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five outpatients with BD underwent open-label prefrontocerebellar tDCS for 3 consecutive weeks. Neurophysiological performances were assessed through the examination of the P3b and P3a subcomponents of P300 event-related potential at baseline and after stimulation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to baseline, P3b component after tDCS showed significantly higher amplitude and shorter latency (latency: Fz P=0.02, Cz P=0.03, and Pz P=0.04; amplitude: Fz P=0.24, Cz P=0.02, and Pz P=0.35).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our sample of patients with euthymic BD, concomitant prefrontoexcitatory and cerebellar-inhibitory modulations led to improved brain information processing stream. This improvement may at least partially result from neuroplastic modulation of prefrontocerebellar circuitry activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco Saverio
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Bersani
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Amedeo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minichino
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fattapposta
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bernabei
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Spagnoli
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mannarelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Francesconi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pauletti
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corrado
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucilla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vergnani
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Taddei
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biondi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Delle Chiaie
keywords: P300; cerebellum; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; event-related potentials; mood disorders; tDCS