Table 1.
Study features, stimulation parameters, and key outcomes of all studies reviewed.
| N | Time (min) | Size (cm2) | Current (mA) | Montage | Design | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persistence | ||||||
| 20 | 5 | 35 | 2 | Sham, anode L DLPFC, M1, V1 | W | Anode L DLPFC increased pain thresholds (Boggio et al., 2008) |
| 12 | 20 | 35 | 2 | Sham, anode and cathode tDCS over L and R DLPFC | W | Anode R DLPFC increased tolerance to heat (Mylius et al., 2012) |
| 40 | 20 | 15 | 2 | Anode and cathode tDCS over the L and R DLPFC | W | Anode L DLPFC decreased pain (Mariano et al., 2015) |
| 79 | 20 | 16 | 2 | Sham, anode L DLPFC, and cathode L DLPFC | B | Cathode L DFLPFC increased pain tolerance (Powers et al., 2018) |
| Delay behavior | ||||||
| 14 | 20 | 9 | 1.6 | Sham, anode L DLPFC/cathode R DLPFC, cathode L DLPFC/anode R DLPFC | W | Anode L DLFPC increased preference for immediate rewards (Hecht et al., 2012) |
| 24 | 20 | 35 | 1.5 | Sham, anode L DLPFC/cathode R OFC, cathode L DLPFC/anode R OFC | W | Both types of active stimulation increased preference for larger-but-later rewards (Nejati et al., 2018) |
| 23 | 20 | 35 | 2 | Sham, anode L DLPFC/cathode R DLPFC, and cathode L DLPFC/anode R DLPFC | W | Anode R DLPFC decreased food cravings, visual attention toward desserts, and consumption (Fregni et al., 2008) |
| 19 | 20 | 35 | 2 | Sham and cathode L DLPFC/anode R DLPFC | W | Anode R DLPFC decreased food cravings but not consumption (Goldman et al., 2011) |
| 10 | 20 | 35 | 2 | Sham and cathode L DLPFC/anode R DLPFC | W | Anode R DLPFC reduced consumption and modulated the N2, P3a, and P3b ERP components (Lapenta et al., 2014) |
| 17 | 20 | 25 | 2 | Sham and cathode L DLPFC/anode R DLPFC | W | Anode R DLPFC reduced cravings for sweet but not savory foods or consumption (Kekic et al., 2014) |
| 30 | 20 | 35 | 2 | Daily sham or anode R DLPFC for 5 days | B | Anode R DLPFC reduced food cravings up to 30 days later (Ljubisavljevic et al., 2016) |
| 30 | 20 | 25 | 2 | Sham and cathode L DLPFC/anode R DLPFC | W | Anode R DLPFC reduced cravings and consumption (Burgess et al., 2016) |
| Impulse control | ||||||
| 20 | 15 | 5.3 | 0.45 | Sham, anode L DLPFC, and anode R DLPFC | W | Anode R DLPFC combined with a cognitive reappraisal task reduced negative emotions (Pripfl and Lamm, 2015) |
| 96 | 20 | 25/35 | 1.5 | Sham or anode R VLPFC | B | Anode R VLPFC reduced the perceived intensity of negative emotions (Vergallito et al., 2018) |
| 60 | 15 | 35 | 2 | Sham, cathode L DLPFC/anode R DLPFC, or anode L DLPFC/cathode R DLPFC | B | Anode L DLPFC caused more aggression in angry participants (Hortensius et al., 2012) |
| 32 | 12.5 | 35 | 2 | Sham or anode R DLPFC | B | Anode R DLPFC reduced proactive aggression in men (Dambacher et al., 2014) |
| 64 | 21.75 | 35 | 1.5 | Sham, cathode L IFG/anode R IFG, and anode L IFG/cathode R IFG | B | No effect of IFG stimulation on response inhibition or aggression (Dambacher et al., 2015b) |
| 90 | 15 | 35 | 2 | Sham, cathode L DLPFC/anode R DLPFC, and anode L DLPFC/cathode R DLPFC | B | Anode R DLPFC increased rumination (Kelley et al., 2013) |
| 202 | 15 | 35 | 2 | Sham, cathode L DLPFC/anode R DLPFC, and anode L DLPFC/cathode R DLPFC | B | Anode R DLPFC sped up motive incongruent responses (Kelley and Schmeichel, 2016) |
| 14 | 20 | 32 | 2 | Five days of twice daily anode L DLPFC/cathode R DLPFC | N/A | Anode L DLPFC reduced sadness up to 30 days after treatment (Ferrucci et al., 2009) |
| 10 | 20 | 35 | 1 | Daily sham or anode L tDCS | B | Anode L DLPFC reduced depressive symptoms (Fregni et al., 2006) |
| 23 | 5 | 35 | 2 | Sham, anode L DLPFC, M1, V1 | W | Anode L DLPFC increased accuracy in identifying positive pictures (Boggio et al., 2009) |
| 80 | 20 | 35 | 2 | Sham and anode R IFG | B | Anode R IFG decreased sustained fear and skin conductance levels to unpredictable threats (Herrmann et al., 2017) |
| 45 | 30 | 25 | 1 | Sham and either cathode L DLPFC/anode R DLPFC, or anode L DLPFC/cathode R DLPFC | W | Anode L DLPFC improved performance and decreased cortisol among participants high in ma anxiety (Sarkar et al., 2014) |
| 47 | 20 | 25 | 1 | Sham and anode L DLPFC | B | Anode L DLPFC enhanced fear memories (Mungee et al., 2014) |
| 17 | 20 | 25 | 1 | Sham and cathode R DLPFC | B | No effect of cathode R DLPFC on fear memories (Mungee et al., 2016) |
| 80 | 20 | 25/35 | 1.5 | Sham and anode R VLPFC | B | Anode R VLPFC reduced aggression after social exclusion (Riva et al., 2012) |
| 79 | 15 | 25/35 | 1.5 | Sham and anode R VLPFC | B | Anode R VLPFC reduced negative feelings after social exclusion (Riva et al., 2014a) |
| 20 | 25/50 | 1.5 | Sham and anode R VLPFC | B | Anode R VLPFC reduced unproved aggression in violent-game players (Riva et al., 2017) | |
| 92 | 15 | 35 | 2 | Sham, cathode L DLPFC/anode DLPFC, and anode L DLPFC/cathode R DLPFC | B | Anode L DLPFC increased jealousy after social exclusion (Kelley et al., 2015a) |
| 16 | 20 | 35 | 1 | Sham and anode L DLPFC | W | Negative pictures rated less negative after anode tDCS over the L DLPFC (Peña-Gómez et al., 2011) |
| 48 | 20 | 35/100 | 1.5 | Sham and anode R DLPFC | B | Anode R DLPFC enhanced cognitive control during emotion regulation (Feeser et al., 2014) |
| 35/12 | 20 | 35 | 2 | S1: Bilateral DLPFC S2: Unilateral DLPFC | B | Bilateral DLPFC tDCS modulated decision making (Fecteau et al., 2007b) |
| 36 | 35 | 2 | Sham, cathode L DLPFC/anode DLPFC, and anode L DLPFC/cathode R DLPFC | B | Anode R DLPFC reduced risk taking (Fecteau et al., 2007a) | |
| 16 | 19 | 35 | 2 | Sham, cathode DLPFC/anode R DLPFC, and anode L DLPFC/cathode R DLPFC | W | Anode stimulation over the R DLPFC reduced risky decision-king (Cheng and Lee, 2016) |
| 30 | 25 | 25 | 2 | Twice daily sham or anode R DLPFC/cathode L DLPFC for 5 days | B | Active tDCS paired with the cognitive task reduced risk-taking This effects persisted 2 months (Gilmore et al., 2017) |
| 20 | 15 | 25 | 1.5 | Sham or anode R DLPFC/cathode L DLPFC | B | Anode R DLPFC caused greater R DLPFC-whole brain connectivity which was associated with reduced risk-taking (Wacker et al., 2008) |
| 24 | 15 | 35 | 1 | Anode and cathode R DLPFC or anode and cathode L DLPFC | W | Anode DLPFC (either L or R) led to reduced risk taking on a driving simulation (Beeli et al., 2008) |
DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; VLPFC, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex; L, left; R, right; B, between-subjects; W, within-subjects.