Enhancing learning-based cognitive control by focalized transcranial direct current stimulation

适应性认知控制是人类在动态变化的环境中追求目标导向行为的能力，是日常生活中认知和行为灵活性的基础。最近的研究强调了联想学习机制和情景记忆的作用，作为适应性认知控制的基本机制。由于适应性认知控制显示出正常衰老的下降，其功能障碍与神经和精神疾病密切相关，因此本项目将专门研究个体化局部经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）增强这一过程的神经机制和预测因素。从长远来看，该项目的结果将有助于改善自我控制和不利决策（例如，在研究单位（RU）的更广泛背景下，本研究是调查tDCS对跨功能域的学习和记忆形成（项目1-8）以及健康人类寿命的影响的八个项目之一。这些经验项目所追求的高度系统和协调的方法将首次允许分析潜在的神经机制和行为刺激反应的预测因子，不仅在每个项目中，而且在不同的任务和功能域中（在项目9中）。目前的项目将提供关于tDCS如何调节基于学习的自适应认知控制的独特信息，从而补充了项目8（PI Li）中tDCS诱导的顺序决策增强的研究。总的来说，RU的实证项目的结果将增加我们目前对tDCS诱导的神经网络效应的理解，它们的区域特异性，刺激效应个体间变异性的机制，以及由于实际年龄的潜在变化。从方法论的角度来看，这些项目中获得的数据将有助于优化和验证电流的生物物理模型（P9+10），从而推动tDCS在健康和疾病方面的未来实验和转化应用。

Adaptive cognitive control – as the human capacity to pursue goal-directed behavior in dynamically changing environments – forms the basis for cognitive and behavioral flexibility in everyday life. Recent research has highlighted associative learning mechanisms and the role of episodic memory as basic mechanisms underlying adaptive cognitive control. Because adaptive cognitive control shows a decline in normal aging and its malfunction is closely related to neurological and psychiatric conditions, this project will specifically investigate the neural mechanisms and predictors underlying enhancement of this process by individualized, focal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). In the long-run, outcomes of this project will contribute to improving treatment of patients with deficits in self-control and disadvantageous decision making (e.g., addiction, eating disorders).Within the broader context of the Research Unit (RU), the present study is one of eight projects investigating tDCS effects on learning and memory formation across functional domains (Projects 1-8) and the healthy human lifespan. The highly systematic and coordinated approach pursued by these empirical projects will allow for the first time analyzing the underlying neural mechanisms and predictors of behavioral stimulation response not only within each project, but also across the different tasks and functional domains (in Project 9).The current project will contribute unique information on how tDCS modulates learning-based adaptive cognitive control, thereby complementing the investigation of tDCS-induced enhancement of sequential decision making in Project 8 (PI Li). Collectively, the results of the empirical projects of the RU will increase our current understanding of tDCS-induced neural network effects, their regional specificity, the mechanisms underlying inter-individual variability of stimulation effects, and potential changes due to chronological age. From a methodological point of view, data acquired in these projects will contribute to optimizing and validating biophysical models of current flow (in P9+10), thereby advancing future experimental and translational applications of tDCS in health and disease.