S-010: PANEL: AUGMENTING PERFORMANCE WITH TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION (TDCS)

摘要

PANEL OVERVIEW: This panel will discuss the effects of a form of non-invasive brain stimulation, known as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on aspects of cognition relevant to the military. The tDCS technique applies a weak direct current through electrodes attached to the scalp. The current passes through the underlying tissues and into the brain modifying neural excitability. These changes in excitability have been shown to generate performance improvements in a variety of cognitive tasks, especially learning, attention, and memory. This panel will showcase new experimental findings that provide evidence tDCS can improve attention/arousal, reduce fatigue, and increase information processing throughput. Additionally, the underlying mechanisms of action causing the behavioral changes will be presented and discussed. These mechanisms will be translated back to biomarkers expressed in breath that are predictive of behavioral outcomes. These markers may eventually serve as a feedback loop to determine the optimal time to perform tDCS.