Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on improving performance of delayed- reinforcement attentional set-shifting tasks in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder rat model

Behavioral flexibility (or set-shifting), which is regulated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC), is often impaired in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is characterized by poor inhibitory control and reinforcement learning. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS...

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Published in:Behavioural brain research 2023-02, Vol.437, p.114145-114145, Article 114145
Main Authors: Chen, Hsin-Yung, Yang, Chia-Yen, Hsieh, Tsung-Hsun, Peng, Chih-Wei, Chuang, Li-Ling, Chang, Ying-Ling, Chi, Huang-Ju, Lee, Hsin-Min, Liang, Sophie Hsin-Yi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Attention - physiology
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Disease Models, Animal
Rats
Rats, Inbred SHR
Rats, Inbred WKY
Reinforcement learning
Set-shifting
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS)
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Summary:Behavioral flexibility (or set-shifting), which is regulated by the prefrontal cortex (PFC), is often impaired in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is characterized by poor inhibitory control and reinforcement learning. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed as a means of noninvasive brain stimulation and a potential therapeutic tool for modulating behavioral flexibility. Animal studies can pave the way to know if tDCS application can potentially benefit rule- and goal-based activities in ADHD. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and inbred Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rats were used as an animal model of ADHD and controls, respectively, and their strategy set-shifting abilities, including initial discrimination, set-shifting, and reversal learning tasks under 0-s or 15-s reinforcer delivery delay conditions, were evaluated. The tDCS treatment had a limited effect on the performance of the SHRs and WKY rats in initial discrimination task under 0-s delay condition. Under the 15-s delay condition, the SHRs had longer lever-press reaction times and/or more trial omissions than the WKY rats did when completing set-shifting and reversal-learning tasks. Among the SHRs, tDCS treatment improved the rats’ reaction times and/or reduced their trial omissions in the set-shifting and reversal-learning tasks. Although tDCS may improve delayed reinforcement learning set-shifting performance in SHRs, further studies are required to clarify the responsible mechanism. •tDCS improves the performance of set-shifting and reversal learning in SHRs.•tDCS has limited effects on immediately reinforcement learning.•tDCS modulates behaviors of delayed reinforcement learning in SHRs.
ISSN:0166-4328
1872-7549
DOI:10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114145