Enhancing Response Inhibition Behavior through tDCS Intervention in College Students with Smartphone Addiction

Abstract Smartphone addiction, emerging from excessive use of smartphones, poses a challenge to inhibitory control functions within society. This research employed Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) as an intervention alongside the Stop Signal Task (SST) to explore behavioral distinctions between individuals with smartphone addiction and a non-addicted control group, focusing on the efficacy of tDCS intervention. The participant cohort comprised 80 individuals, divided into an addiction group (39 participants, with 19 receiving active tDCS and 20 receiving sham tDCS) and a control group (41 participants, with 20 receiving active tDCS and 21 receiving sham tDCS), with anodal stimulation applied over the right dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (dlPFC) and cathodal placement over the left arm. Findings indicated that university students grappling with smartphone addiction demonstrated diminished inhibitory control compared to their non-addicted counterparts, albeit maintaining comparable levels of general cognitive control. Notably, tDCS intervention was found to enhance inhibitory control in both groups, with a pronounced improvement observed in the addicted group. This study underscores the utility of tDCS in fostering healthier smartphone usage habits, informing clinical interventions, and furthering the development of tDCS methodologies.