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Can brain stimulation speed up naming what you see?
What is it about?
We tested whether non-invasive electrical brain stimulation (tDCS) can change how quickly people perform rapid naming of colors, letters, numbers, and combinations. Sixty healthy young adults named these visual stimuli as fast as possible before and after 20 minutes of stimulation. We found that excitatory stimulation made people perform all naming tasks faster, while inhibitory stimulation slowed them down. Sham (fake) stimulation had no effect, confirming these results. Interestingly, accuracy did not change—only speed was affected. This suggests brain stimulation can modulate naming speed without affecting accuracy in healthy adults.
Why is it important?
We targeted the temporo-parieto-occipital junction—a brain region that integrates visual, language, and attentional processes critical for rapid naming. This is the first study to systematically investigate the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on rapid naming across multiple categories (colors, letters, numbers, and combinations) in healthy young adults. We demonstrated bidirectional effects—excitatory stimulation speeds up performance while inhibitory stimulation slows it down. Importantly, we showed that speed can be modulated even when accuracy remains unchanged, suggesting that time-based measures are key for detecting stimulation effects. These findings provide a foundation for developing brain stimulation therapies targeting naming difficulties in aphasia, dementia, and age-related cognitive decline.