Alpha‐Oscillatory Current Application Impacts Prospective Remembering Through Strategic Monitoring
Bruno de Matos Mansur, Viviana Villafane Barraza, Angela Voegtle, Christoph Reichert, Slawomir J. Nasuto, Catherine M. Sweeney‐Reed

TL;DR
Applying alpha-frequency brain stimulation improves future task remembering by affecting brain regions involved in attention and memory.
Contribution
This study shows that alpha-tACS modulates PM performance and neural activity in specific brain regions.
Findings
Alpha-tACS improved prospective memory accuracy compared to sham stimulation.
Alpha-tACS reduced posterior cingulate cortex activity during PM tasks.
Alpha-tACS decreased prefrontal cortex activity during PM compared to working memory trials.
Abstract
Prospective memory (PM) is the ability to remember to execute future intentions. PM requires engagement of attentional networks, in which oscillatory activity in the alpha frequency range has been implicated. The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and inferior parietal cortex are assumed to be engaged during PM tasks. We hypothesized that the selective application of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at alpha frequency to these areas can modulate PM‐associated event‐related potentials. Participants were assigned to alpha‐tACS, theta‐tACS, or Sham stimulation. They performed a working memory task (OGT), with a PM component, pre‐, during, and post‐stimulation. EEG was recorded post‐stimulation. Accuracy and reaction times (RTs) were computed. Following EEG source reconstruction of mean amplitude, source activity was contrasted between conditions in which…
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Taxonomy
TopicsCognitive Functions and Memory · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies · EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
