TY - JOUR

T1 - Frontotemporal stimulation modulates semantically-guided visual search during confrontation naming: a combined tDCS and eye tracking investigation

AU - Binney, Richard J.

AU - Ashaie, Sameer

AU - Zuckerman, Bonnie

AU - Hung, Jinyi

AU - Reilly, Jamie

PY - 2018/5

Y1 - 2018/5

N2 - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was paired with eye tracking to elucidate contributions of frontal, temporoparietal and anterior temporal cortex to early visual search patterns during picture naming (e.g., rapid visual scanning to diagnostic semantic features). Neurotypical adults named line drawings of objects prior to and following tDCS in three separate sessions, each employing a unique electrode montage. The gaze data revealed montage by stimulation (pre/post) interaction effects characterized by longer initial visual fixations (mean difference =89 ms; Cohen’s d =.8) and cumulative fixation durations (mean difference =98 ms; Cohen’s d =.9) on key semantic features (e.g., the head of an animal) after cathodal frontotemporal stimulation relative to the pre-stimulation baseline. We interpret these findings as reflecting a tDCS-induced modulation of semantic contributions of the anterior temporal lobe(s) to top-down influences on object recognition. Further, we discuss implications for the optimization of tDCS for the treatment of anomia in aphasia.

AB - Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was paired with eye tracking to elucidate contributions of frontal, temporoparietal and anterior temporal cortex to early visual search patterns during picture naming (e.g., rapid visual scanning to diagnostic semantic features). Neurotypical adults named line drawings of objects prior to and following tDCS in three separate sessions, each employing a unique electrode montage. The gaze data revealed montage by stimulation (pre/post) interaction effects characterized by longer initial visual fixations (mean difference =89 ms; Cohen’s d =.8) and cumulative fixation durations (mean difference =98 ms; Cohen’s d =.9) on key semantic features (e.g., the head of an animal) after cathodal frontotemporal stimulation relative to the pre-stimulation baseline. We interpret these findings as reflecting a tDCS-induced modulation of semantic contributions of the anterior temporal lobe(s) to top-down influences on object recognition. Further, we discuss implications for the optimization of tDCS for the treatment of anomia in aphasia.

KW - Semantic cognition

KW - Picture naming

KW - Anterior temporal lobe

KW - tDCS

KW - Eye tracking

U2 - 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.04.004

DO - 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.04.004

M3 - Article

VL - 180-182

SP - 14

EP - 23

JO - Brain and Language

JF - Brain and Language

SN - 0093-934X

ER -