Top Highlights

• Transcranial direct current is considered to alter the neuronal firing threshold through up- or down-regulation of neuronal resting membrane potentials, with anodal TDCS increasing excitability of the underlying cortex
• Anodal TDCS has been shown to enhance WM performance (Fregni et al., 2005; Ohn et al., 2008; Andrews et al., 2011; Zaehle et al., 2011), but the results are mixed, and include both negative findings as well as small changes in WM performance (Brunoni et al., 2011; Hill et al., 2016; Mancuso et al., 2016). It has been suggested that the lack of repr...
• The sinusoidal current applied using TACS means that the net membrane potential is unaltered. The mechanism of action of TACS is therefore likely to be based on entrainment of ongoing cortical activity rather than local alterations in cortical excitability
• A potential advantage of TACS is that the stimulation frequency is chosen on a physiological basis, with the aim of modulating known, task-relevant physiological processes. The choice of stimulation frequency is dependent on the specific task under investigation, as demonstrated in a series of studies comparing the effects of TACS using different s...

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