The Role of prefrotal cortex in subjective mood: A Trans cranial Direct Current

In this study we aimed to investigate whether anodal Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of left and right Dorsolatera prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) could affect subjective negative /positive mood in healthy subjects. In a quasi-experimental study, participants (20 female, 20 male) were received three left anodal DLPFC/ Right anodal DLPFC and Sham stimulation (2mA, 20 min) in a random order independent sessions. The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was administered for assessing subjective mood, before and after treatment. Friedman Test and Mann-Whitny U were used for analysising data. Results indicated that left anodal tDCS over DLPFC diminish subjective report of negative mood. Moreover, the effects of tDCS on decreasing positive mood in men was greater than women. Active bifrontal tDCS in our population not only was not compatible with previous results in healthy population, but also it was similar to tDCS application in depressed population. Further studies with precise assessment of mood and emotion, and with applying different tDCS montages could generate complementary finding about the role of the DLPFC in subjective mood.