Probing the Decisional Brain with Noninvasive Brain Stimulation

Noninvasive stimulation techniques are a powerful tool that can provide strong but complementary evidence with respect to neuroimaging methods, and their potential may be best exploited when they are used in combination with other techniques. With noninvasive brain stimulation, that is, transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial direct current stimulation, the healthy brain is not structurally disrupted and its function is modulated only locally and for a limited amount of time. The use of electricity to alter neural function has a long history, and noninvasive stimulation with electrodes applied on the surface of the scalp has remained the main stimulation device in medical and experimental settings for centuries, in spite of being associated with painful sensations. A large body of research investigating decision processes with noninvasive brain stimulation has focused on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The DLPFC is commonly considered to be involved in cognitive control and inhibition of impulsive responses.