Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology最新文献

{"title":"Diagnosing dyslexia in adults: what is going wrong and how can we fix it?","authors":"Julian G Elliott, Johny Daniel","doi":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2665373","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2026.2665373","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This paper examines how the concept of dyslexia, a problem that was once considered to be both rare and highly salient, has now been broadened to such an extent that many adults with successful educational histories, and without any history of significant reading difficulty, receive a dyslexia diagnosis only after having progressed to higher education, training, or employment. It is argued that the basis of the problem lies largely in conceptual and scientific misunderstandings. While there is a wide consensus that dyslexia represents a severe, complex, and persistent difficulty in learning to decode text, many have placed undue emphasis upon a wide variety of cognitive processes as diagnostic indicators. The primary error stems from conflating the greater likelihood of finding such difficulties in groups of struggling readers with the belief that these can be adjudged to be markers of dyslexia in the case of a given individual. This misconception has been exacerbated by a growing emphasis upon self-reported difficulties and the use of lived experience as primary means of understanding the nature of the condition. The dangers that result for scientific advance and for evidence-led educational policy and practice are highlighted. It is contended that the expansion of the dyslexia construct, and the misuse of assessment data, particularly when employed with adults, has in part been fueled, not by scientific research, but by the misunderstandings, interests, and motivations of those receiving and providing diagnostic services. Illustrative examples from the domains of adult higher education, medical training, and employment tribunals are offered as illustration.</p>","PeriodicalId":15382,"journal":{"name":"Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147772855","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predictors of cognitive performance in postmenopausal women: findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).","authors":"Maryam Mansuar, Caroline Carlton, Vanessa Taler, Laura Rabin, Annie Robitaille","doi":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2661622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2026.2661622","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>A range of demographic, reproductive, and health-related factors influence brain health in postmenopausal women, though their relative and combined contributions are not fully understood. Using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), this study examined predictors of cognitive performance in postmenopausal women, including hormone therapy (HT) use, age at menopause, and relevant sociodemographic and health-related variables.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We included baseline and follow-up data from 10,978 CLSA participants. Multiple linear regressions were employed to examine the associations between predictors and cognitive test scores at a 3-year follow-up, adjusting for baseline scores. Cognitive performance was assessed using a neuropsychological battery, which included six tests probing verbal learning, episodic memory, executive function, and verbal and semantic fluency.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Later age at menopause was predictive of better cognitive performance on specific cognitive tests, including verbal learning and delayed recall, as measured by the CLSA-modified REY I (β = .01, 95% CI [-.04, .02], <i>p</i> = .006) and REY II (β = .02, 95% CI [.01, .03], <i>p</i> < .001), as well as inhibitory control measured by Stroop test interference (β = -.01, 95% CI [-.01, -.02], <i>p</i> = .004). Sociodemographic factors, including education and income, were also consistent predictors of cognitive performance across domains.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Overall, findings suggest that cognitive performance in postmenopausal women may reflect a combination of reproductive and sociodemographic influences. Future studies incorporating longer follow-up periods and more detailed reproductive and health measures are needed to better characterize the contribution of menopause-related factors to cognitive aging.</p>","PeriodicalId":15382,"journal":{"name":"Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147772915","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cross-sectional assessment of telephone- and computer-administered instruments in detection of cognitive impairment.","authors":"A Aaltonen, T T Saari, M Urjansson, T Palviainen, T I Paajanen, FinnGen, A Palotie, H Runz, J Kaprio, V Julkunen, E Vuoksimaa","doi":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2661625","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2026.2661625","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>We investigated the associations of telephone- and computer-administered cognitive screening instruments for Alzheimer's disease with in-person measurement in a population-based sample of individuals without a prior diagnosis of dementia-causing neurodegenerative disease.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We studied 202 TWINGEN participants (126 female) who had in-person administered Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease neuropsychological battery (CERAD-nb) data. The participants were aged 65-85 years and of European ancestry. Telephone-administered instruments were telephone assessment for dementia (TELE) and modified version of Telephone Tnterview for Cognitive Status, and computer-administered instrument was web-based cCOG. We utilized correlation analyses, areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) and hierarchical linear mixed-effects models in main analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Screening instruments exhibited moderate to high correlations with CERAD-nb, with the strongest correlation between cCOG and CERAD-nb (<i>r</i> = .62). Despite exclusion criteria, 20 participants had cognitive impairment according to the CERAD-nb total score. When evaluating the instruments' ability to distinguish between participants with and without cognitive impairment, AUCs ranged from .65 (95% CI [.53, .78]) for TELE to .76 (95% CI [.67, .86]) for cCOG. All instruments predicted in-person CERAD-nb score in linear mixed-effects models, when controlling for demographic factors. Including both telephone- and computer-administered measures as predictors resulted in better accuracy compared to including only one modality as a predictor.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Performance in telephone- and computer-administered cognitive screening instruments was associated with performance in in-person neuropsychological battery designed for early detection of Alzheimer's disease. The results indicate validity of the computerized and telephone-administered tests at the population level.</p>","PeriodicalId":15382,"journal":{"name":"Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147772910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Do fear avoidance beliefs increase persistent postconcussion symptoms? An experimental vignette study.","authors":"Gabrielle Cain, Olivia Beh, Karen A Sullivan","doi":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2664548","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2026.2664548","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>There is substantial burden associated with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), particularly for people who experience persistent postconcussion symptoms (PPCS). Research has explored the role in PPCS of fear avoidance as a psychogenic contributing factor; however, understanding remains limited. The present study employed experimental methods to investigate the strength and direction of the relationship between fear avoidance and PPCS.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Participants (<i>N</i> = 143) were randomly assigned to a fear avoidance (<i>n</i> = 74) or control group (<i>n</i> = 69). They viewed a mTBI vignette with or without statements activating fear avoidance beliefs and then reported anticipated PPCS. Participants additionally reported levels of anxiety and depression as a proxy for premorbid distress. Standardized questionnaires were used for all measurements.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After controlling for emotional distress, participants in the fear avoidance group reported significantly higher PPCS than control participants. Although the proportion of variance explained was modest (8%), this finding provides novel experimental evidence that fear avoidance has an explanatory role in simulated PPCS.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study lends empirical support to theoretical models that implicate fear avoidance beliefs in the development and maintenance of PPCS, and further consideration of these beliefs as a treatment target.</p>","PeriodicalId":15382,"journal":{"name":"Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147772885","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subjective cognition and objective cognitive performance in early versus late perimenopause.","authors":"Rachel T Furey, Chen Zhu, Qi Li, Caroline Gurvich","doi":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2661616","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2026.2661616","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Menopause-related cognitive difficulties, colloquially referred to as menopausal brain fog, are commonly reported during perimenopause. While hormonal fluctuations across the menopause transition have been proposed to impact both self-reported and objective cognitive functioning, few studies have directly compared cognition across early and late perimenopause stages. As such, the current study aimed to examine whether subjective cognitive complaints and objective cognitive performance differ across menopause stages, as defined by the updated STRAW +10 criteria.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Secondary analyses were conducted using data from 687 participants in the Menopause and Cognition Online Study (Meno-COG). Self-reported memory complaints, objective cognitive performance, menopause symptoms, and mood were assessed in women across different stages of the menopause transition. Additionally, the factor structure of the online cognitive test battery was evaluated using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The CFA supported a three-factor model for the cognitive data, reflecting learning efficiency, retrieval fluency, and working memory. When early and late perimenopause were combined, the perimenopause (combined) group demonstrated significantly poorer performance on measures of learning efficiency compared to reproductive and postmenopausal women. In contrast, no significant differences were observed between early and late perimenopause groups in either self-reported memory complaints or objective cognitive performance. However, vasomotor symptoms were significantly higher in late perimenopause.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings support preliminary evidence suggesting that learning efficiency may be sensitive to cognitive changes during the menopause transition. Challenges in classifying early versus late perimenopause highlight the limitations of the STRAW +10 framework for characterizing perimenopause. Future research incorporating hormonal measures and comprehensive supervised neuropsychological assessment is needed to characterize cognitive changes across perimenopause more precisely.</p>","PeriodicalId":15382,"journal":{"name":"Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147772862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Measurement bias for age, sex, and years of education in selected RDoC tasks.","authors":"Emily T Sturm, Anastasia G Sares, Raana M Manavi, Maiele E Minzie, Jazmin M Diaz, Andrea Mendez-Colmenares, John R Duffy, Jason R Tregellas, Don C Rojas, Jared W Young, Michael L Thomas","doi":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2632223","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2632223","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Measurement bias - systematic errors that lead to inaccuracies in assessing latent constructs - threatens to invalidate analysis and interpretation of ourcome scores collected in the context of clinical trials, longtiudinal research, and other types of neurocognitive studies; however, there has been little effort to examine this issue in tasks recommended by the National Institute of Health's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) for neuropsychological research.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We aimed to evaluate measurement bias for sex, age, years of education, educational discouragement, underrepresented racial/ethnic identity, and household income in seven RDoC-recommended tasks. We recruited a sample of 320 individuals balanced for race, age, sex, and income. All participants completed a demographic survey and battery of neurocognitive tasks. We used Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes models to assess bias related to these factors.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Evidence of negative bias associated with older age was found for the Continuous Performance Task (CPT), and evidence of positive bias with older age was found for the Flanker task. Evidence of positive bias associated with sex, favoring women, was found for the Self-Ordered Pointing Task (SOPT). Additionally, evidence of negative bias associated with years of education was found for the CPT. No evidence of bias was found for the Sternberg task, Probabilistic Learning Task, or Effort-Expenditure for Rewards Task (EEfRT). Overall, we did not find evidence of bias related to income, race, or educational discouragement.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Certain tasks in this battery may be biased due to age, sex, and education, suggesting that researchers should be cautious when using these particular tasks as part of a battery in neuropsychological research with diverse populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":15382,"journal":{"name":"Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147698970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A health literacy screening option for clinical neuropsychologists: the Newest Vital Sign is associated with age, cognition, and applied health behaviors.","authors":"Elliott M Gomez, Troy A Webber, Victoria M Kordovski, Savanna M Tierney, Samina Rahman, Steven Paul Woods","doi":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2661615","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2026.2661615","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Low health literacy is common and can affect brain health behaviors, yet clinical neuropsychologists do not commonly assess this important construct. The Newest Vital Sign (NVS) is a performance-based health literacy screening instrument that might be of value to clinical neuropsychologists. The current study examined the possible effects of age on the NVS and its association with cognition and applied health literacy.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Participants included 50 younger (18-32 years) and 41 middle-aged/older (51-82 years) healthy adults. All participants completed the NVS, a neuropsychological battery, and measures of applied health literacy, including web-based health search tasks and the Modified UCSD Brief Assessment for Capacity to Consent. Hypotheses were tested with multiple regression analyses covarying for oral word reading.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Results showed that the middle-aged/older adults obtained mildly lower scores on the NVS as compared to younger adults. Lower NVS scores were moderately associated with cognition, particularly in the domain of executive functions (e.g. abstraction, flexibility, and generativity). Higher scores on the NVS were also moderately associated with better performance on measures of web-based health information searching and treatment appraisal.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The NVS is associated with older age, executive functions, and applied health literacy. Clinical neuropsychologists might consider integrating the NVS into their batteries given its brevity and relevance to health factors that affect many people with central nervous system conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":15382,"journal":{"name":"Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147698973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Verbal fluency in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.","authors":"Panagiotis Grigoriadis, Christos Bakirtzis, Spyros N Deftereos, Konstantinos Lallas, Dimitrios G Goulis, Athanasios Tsimpiris, Vasilis-Spyridon Tseriotis, Panagiotis Anagnostis, Lambros Messinis","doi":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2654022","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2654022","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Cognitive impairment is common in people with multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders. Verbal fluency in particular has been receiving increasing attention over the last couple of years.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>This meta-analysis summarizes the existing evidence from previous studies on verbal fluency in people with multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The MOOSE guidelines for meta-analyses of observational studies were followed. A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library from January 1990 to March 2025. Sixty-nine (69) studies were included in the synthesis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>People with multiple sclerosis performed significantly worse than healthy controls in both phonemic (<i>n</i> = 50, SMD -0.82, 95% CI -0.94 to -0.71, I² 68%, <i>p</i> < 0.00001) and semantic fluency (<i>n</i> = 46, SMD -0.81, 95% CI -0.95 to -0.68, I² 80%, <i>p</i> < 0.00001). Similar results were observed in people with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders for phonemic (<i>n</i> = 5; SMD -0.49, 95% CI -0.73 to -0.26, I² 27%, <i>p</i> < 0.0001) and semantic fluency (<i>n</i> = 7, SMD -0.57, 95% CI -0.85 to -0.29, I² 48%, <i>p</i> < 0.0001). No significant differences in performance were found between the two clinical entities for either phonemic (<i>n</i> = 5, SMD -0.01, 95% CI -0.21 to -0.19, I² 0%, <i>p</i> = 0.92) or semantic fluency (<i>n</i> = 5, SMD -0.01, 95% CI -0.39 to -0.41, I² 58%, <i>p</i> = 0.97). Analysis within the group of people with multiple sclerosis indicated poorer performance in those with the progressive forms than in those with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in both phonemic (<i>n</i> = 10, SMD -0.43, 95% CI -0.13 to -0.73, I² 81%, <i>p</i> = 0.005) and semantic fluency (<i>n</i> = 10, SMD -0.55, 95% CI -0.32 to -0.79, I² 64%, <i>p</i> < 0.00001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Verbal fluency may be a clinically relevant marker of cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders. Routine testing may help identify patients who could benefit from targeted cognitive rehabilitation interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":15382,"journal":{"name":"Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147627980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Base rates of low achievement scores in young adults: implications for specific learning disability assessment.","authors":"Benjamin J Lovett, Theresa M Schaberg","doi":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2654019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2026.2654019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Specific learning disability (SLD) is a high-incidence diagnosis, with academic skill deficits at its core. Diagnostic models for SLD vary but they generally require data from norm-referenced achievement tests. Multivariate base rates for low scores on such tests have not been examined in young adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The young adult (ages 18-29) group from the Woodcock-Johnson IV (WJ-IV; 2014) normative sample (<i>N</i> = 1330) was used. We calculated base rates for low scores on the 11 subtests of the Standard Battery of the WJ-IV Tests of Achievement. We also calculated base rates for discrepancies between participants' General Intellectual Ability scores and their achievement subtests.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Low achievement subtest scores were very common; most participants had at least one standard score below 90, and almost half had at least one score below 85. Achievement scores that were discrepant from ability scores were also common; most participants had at least one score that was at least 1.0 SD below their ability estimate, and among high-ability subgroups, discrepant achievement scores were extremely common.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Normative and relative low achievement subtest scores are common in the general population of young adults. SLD diagnosis in young adults should require objective evidence of other criteria being met, such as trouble initially acquiring academic skills in childhood, current functional impairment in educational or occupational settings, and rule-outs of other possible causes of low achievement test scores.</p>","PeriodicalId":15382,"journal":{"name":"Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147618793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cognitive effects of dorsolateral versus medial prefrontal anodal transcranial direct current stimulation in healthy individuals.","authors":"Ibrahim Sari, Sacit Karamürsel, Asli Demirtas-Tatlidede","doi":"10.1080/13803395.2026.2654020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/13803395.2026.2654020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive and safe brain stimulation technique with the potential to modulate cognitive functions in both healthy and clinical populations. However, previous studies in healthy individuals have reported mixed results, with outcomes ranging from cognitive enhancement to no observable effects. The present study aimed to investigate the cognitive effects of anodal frontal tDCS in healthy adults, with a particular focus on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a relatively underexplored target for neuromodulation.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Twenty healthy participants completed four randomized anodal tDCS sessions targeting the right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), mPFC, and a sham condition. During stimulation, participants completed a cognitive test battery assessing executive functions, processing speed, memory, and social cognition and included the Trail Making Test (TMT), Letter-Number Sequencing (LNS), Verbal Fluency (VF), Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RME), Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SD), Stroop Test (ST), and Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test (FCSRT).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Active stimulation improved performance in the TMT-A, TMT-B, and SD tests. Specifically, mPFC stimulation yielded superior performance in TMT-A (<i>p</i> = 0.001) and TMT-B (<i>p</i> = 0.015) compared with sham. Left DLPFC stimulation enhanced TMT-A (<i>p</i> = 0.006), while right DLPFC improved TMT-B (<i>p</i> = 0.004) and SD performance vs sham (<i>p</i> = 0.004).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings from this exploratory study suggest that anodal frontal tDCS, particularly targeting the mPFC and DLPFC, may enhance cognitive performance in healthy adults, especially within the domains of executive function and processing speed. Beyond the frequently targeted DLPFC, the mPFC may also represent a promising and underexplored region for future research on cognitive enhancement in healthy populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":15382,"journal":{"name":"Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology","volume":" ","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147609066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}