Reducing the Disruptive Effects of Interruptions With Noninvasive Brain Stimulation

Abstract

Objective: The authors determine whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can reduce resumption time when an ongoing task is interrupted. Background: Interruptions are common and disruptive. Working memory capacity has been shown to predict resumption lag (i.e., time to successfully resume a task after interruption). Given that tDCS applied to brain areas associated with working memory can enhance performance, tDCS has the potential to improve resumption lag when a task is interrupted. Method: Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups that received anodal (active) stimulation of 2 mA tDCS to one of two target brain regions, left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), or to one of two control areas, active stimulation of the left primary motor cortex or sham stimulation of the right DLPFC, while completing a financial management task that was intermittently interrupted with math problem solving. Results: Anodal stimulation to the right and left DLPFC significantly reduced resumption lags compared to the control conditions (sham and left motor cortex stimulation). Additionally, there was no speed-accuracy tradeoff (i.e., the improvement in resumption time was not accompanied by an increased error rate). Conclusion: Noninvasive brain stimulation can significantly decrease resumption lag (improve performance) after a task is interrupted. Application: Noninvasive brain stimulation offers an easy-to-apply tool that can significantly improve interrupted task performance.