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A Meta‐Analysis of the Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Anger and Aggression.

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Title: A Meta‐Analysis of the Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Anger and Aggression.
Authors: Denson, Thomas F. (AUTHOR), Choy, Olivia (AUTHOR), Summerell, Elizabeth (AUTHOR), Wong, Iana (AUTHOR)
Source: Aggressive Behavior. Jul2025, Vol. 51 Issue 4, p1-16. 16p.
Subjects: Anger, Aggression (Psychology), Neural stimulation, Aggregation (Statistics), Transcranial direct current stimulation, Prefrontal cortex, Neurosciences
Abstract: Anger and aggression are causes of significant suffering. Psychological methods to prevent and reduce anger and aggression have been partially successful; however, there is room for novel interventions, such as those informed by neuroscience. One such intervention is anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which involves administering a weak electrical current to the brain to stimulate cortical activity. In this meta‐analysis, we synthesized 93 effect sizes from 25 sham‐controlled experiments. We predicted that tDCS would reduce anger and aggression. The overall results showed no effect of tDCS on anger and aggression (Hedges' g = −0.03, CI95% = −0.30, 0.24). Separate meta‐analyses of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex showed no effects of tDCS. The meta‐analysis was limited by low power in the source articles (average power = 0.33); No study reached the sufficient sample size to detect a medium effect. Thus, there is room for more well‐powered research on the topic to determine whether tDCS may reduce aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Aggressive Behavior is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: A Meta‐Analysis of the Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Anger and Aggression.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Aggressive+Behavior%22">Aggressive Behavior</searchLink>. Jul2025, Vol. 51 Issue 4, p1-16. 16p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Anger%22">Anger</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aggression+%28Psychology%29%22">Aggression (Psychology)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Neural+stimulation%22">Neural stimulation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Aggregation+%28Statistics%29%22">Aggregation (Statistics)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Transcranial+direct+current+stimulation%22">Transcranial direct current stimulation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Prefrontal+cortex%22">Prefrontal cortex</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Neurosciences%22">Neurosciences</searchLink>
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  Data: Anger and aggression are causes of significant suffering. Psychological methods to prevent and reduce anger and aggression have been partially successful; however, there is room for novel interventions, such as those informed by neuroscience. One such intervention is anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which involves administering a weak electrical current to the brain to stimulate cortical activity. In this meta‐analysis, we synthesized 93 effect sizes from 25 sham‐controlled experiments. We predicted that tDCS would reduce anger and aggression. The overall results showed no effect of tDCS on anger and aggression (Hedges' g = −0.03, CI95% = −0.30, 0.24). Separate meta‐analyses of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex showed no effects of tDCS. The meta‐analysis was limited by low power in the source articles (average power = 0.33); No study reached the sufficient sample size to detect a medium effect. Thus, there is room for more well‐powered research on the topic to determine whether tDCS may reduce aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Aggressive Behavior is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1002/ab.70036
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 16
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    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Anger
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Aggression (Psychology)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Neural stimulation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Aggregation (Statistics)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Transcranial direct current stimulation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Prefrontal cortex
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      – SubjectFull: Neurosciences
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: A Meta‐Analysis of the Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Anger and Aggression.
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            NameFull: Denson, Thomas F.
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            NameFull: Choy, Olivia
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            NameFull: Summerell, Elizabeth
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            – D: 01
              M: 07
              Text: Jul2025
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
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            – TitleFull: Aggressive Behavior
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