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Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the inferior frontal cortex affects the “social scaling” of extrapersonal space depending on perspective-taking ability

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Abstract

When we have to judge the distance between another person and an object (social condition), we judge this distance as being smaller compared to judging the distance between two objects (nonsocial condition). It has been suggested that this compression is mediated by the attribution of a motor potential to the reference frame (other person vs. object). In order to explore the neural basis of this effect, we investigated whether the modulation of activity in the inferior frontal cortex (IFC) of the left hemisphere (recruited during visuospatial processes with a social component) changes the way we categorize space in a social compared with a nonsocial condition. We applied transcranial direct current stimulation to the left IFC, with different polarities (anodal, cathodal, and sham) while subjects performed an extrapersonal space categorization task. Interestingly, anodal stimulation of IFC induced an higher compression of space in the social compared to nonsocial condition. By contrast, cathodal stimulation induced the opposite effect. Furthermore, we found that this effect is modulated by interindividual differences in cognitive perspective taking. Our data support the idea that IFC is recruited during the social categorization of space.

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Acknowledgements

This study has been supported by FWO Research Project G.0223.13.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Henri-Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Chiara Fini & Agnes Moors

  2. Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Henri-Dunantlaan 2, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Lara Bardi & Marcel Brass

  3. Laboratory of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, and ITAB, University G. d’Annunzio, Chieti, Italy

    Alessandra Epifanio & Giorgia Committeri

  4. Research Unit for Quantitative Psychology and Individual differences, Centre for Social and Cultural Psychology, University of Leuven, Oude Markt 13, 3000, Louvain, Belgium

    Chiara Fini & Agnes Moors

Authors
  1. Chiara Fini
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  2. Lara Bardi
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  3. Alessandra Epifanio
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  4. Giorgia Committeri
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  5. Agnes Moors
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  6. Marcel Brass
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Correspondence to Chiara Fini.

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Fini, C., Bardi, L., Epifanio, A. et al. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) of the inferior frontal cortex affects the “social scaling” of extrapersonal space depending on perspective-taking ability. Exp Brain Res 235, 673–679 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-016-4817-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-016-4817-z

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