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Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been found to improve working memory (WM) performance in healthy participants following a single session. However, results are mixed and the overall effect size is small. Interpretation of these results is confounded by heterogeneous study designs, including differences in tDCS dose (current intensity) and sham conditions used.

We systematically investigated the effect of tDCS dose on working memory using behavioural and neurophysiological outcomes.

In a single-blind parallel group design, 100 participants were randomised across five groups to receive 15 min of bifrontal tDCS at different current intensities (2 mA, 1 mA, and three sham tDCS conditions at 0.034 mA, 0.016 mA, or 0 mA). EEG activity was acquired while participants performed a WM task prior to, during, and following tDCS. Response time, accuracy and an event …