title: Increased contextual cue utilization with tDCS over the prefrontal cortex during a recognition task.
abstract: The precise role of the prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices in recognition performance remains controversial, with questions about whether these regions contribute to recognition via the availability of mnemonic evidence or via decision biases and retrieval orientation. Here we used an explicit memory cueing paradigm, whereby external cues probabilistically predict upcoming memoranda as old or new, in our case with 75% validity, and these cues affect recognition decision biases in the direction of the cue. The present study applied bilateral transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over prefrontal or posterior parietal cortex, or sham tDCS, to test the causal role of these regions in recognition accuracy or decision biasing. Participants who received tDCS over prefrontal cortex showed increased cue utilization compared to tDCS over posterior parietal cortex and sham tDCS, suggesting that the prefrontal cortex is involved in processes that contribute to decision biases in memory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, United States; Department of Psychology, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, United States. Electronic address: pergolid@mskcc.org.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pergolizzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, United States; Department of Psychology, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, United States. Electronic address: echua@brooklyn.cuny.edu.
authors.forename: Elizabeth F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Chua
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003463:Cues; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D065908:Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cueing; Decision-making; Memory; Prefrontal cortex; Recognition; Transcranial direct current stimulation