Wiam Al Qasem, Mohammed Abubaker, Kateřina Pilátová, Petr Ježdík, Eugen Kvašňák
{"title":"Improving working memory by electrical stimulation and cross-frequency coupling.","authors":"Wiam Al Qasem, Mohammed Abubaker, Kateřina Pilátová, Petr Ježdík, Eugen Kvašňák","doi":"10.1186/s13041-024-01142-1","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Working memory (WM) is essential for the temporary storage and processing of information required for complex cognitive tasks and relies on neuronal theta and gamma oscillations. Given the limited capacity of WM, researchers have investigated various methods to improve it, including transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), which modulates brain activity at specific frequencies. One particularly promising approach is theta-gamma peak-coupled-tACS (TGCp-tACS), which simulates the natural interaction between theta and gamma oscillations that occurs during cognitive control in the brain. The aim of this study was to improve WM in healthy young adults with TGCp-tACS, focusing on both behavioral and neurophysiological outcomes. Thirty-one participants completed five WM tasks under both sham and verum stimulation conditions. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings before and after stimulation showed that TGCp-tACS increased power spectral density (PSD) in the high-gamma region at the stimulation site, while PSD decreased in the theta and delta regions throughout the cortex. From a behavioral perspective, although no significant changes were observed in most tasks, there was a significant improvement in accuracy in the 14-item Sternberg task, indicating an improvement in phonological WM. In conclusion, TGCp-tACS has the potential to promote and improve the phonological component of WM. To fully realize the cognitive benefits, further research is needed to refine the stimulation parameters and account for individual differences, such as baseline cognitive status and hormonal factors.</p>","PeriodicalId":18851,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Brain","volume":"17 1","pages":"72"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11446076/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Molecular Brain","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13041-024-01142-1","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Working memory (WM) is essential for the temporary storage and processing of information required for complex cognitive tasks and relies on neuronal theta and gamma oscillations. Given the limited capacity of WM, researchers have investigated various methods to improve it, including transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), which modulates brain activity at specific frequencies. One particularly promising approach is theta-gamma peak-coupled-tACS (TGCp-tACS), which simulates the natural interaction between theta and gamma oscillations that occurs during cognitive control in the brain. The aim of this study was to improve WM in healthy young adults with TGCp-tACS, focusing on both behavioral and neurophysiological outcomes. Thirty-one participants completed five WM tasks under both sham and verum stimulation conditions. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings before and after stimulation showed that TGCp-tACS increased power spectral density (PSD) in the high-gamma region at the stimulation site, while PSD decreased in the theta and delta regions throughout the cortex. From a behavioral perspective, although no significant changes were observed in most tasks, there was a significant improvement in accuracy in the 14-item Sternberg task, indicating an improvement in phonological WM. In conclusion, TGCp-tACS has the potential to promote and improve the phonological component of WM. To fully realize the cognitive benefits, further research is needed to refine the stimulation parameters and account for individual differences, such as baseline cognitive status and hormonal factors.
期刊介绍:
Molecular Brain is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers manuscripts on all aspects of studies on the nervous system at the molecular, cellular, and systems level providing a forum for scientists to communicate their findings.
Molecular brain research is a rapidly expanding research field in which integrative approaches at the genetic, molecular, cellular and synaptic levels yield key information about the physiological and pathological brain. These studies involve the use of a wide range of modern techniques in molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, imaging and electrophysiology.