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Peylo C, Romberg-Taylor C, Behnke L, Sauseng P. Dynamic alpha power modulations and slow negative potentials track natural shifts of spatio-temporal attention. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14498. [PMID: 38071405 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Alpha power modulations and slow negative potentials have previously been associated with anticipatory processes in spatial and temporal top-down attention. In typical experimental designs, however, neural responses triggered by transient stimulus onsets can interfere with attention-driven activity patterns and our interpretation of such. Here, we investigated these signatures of spatio-temporal attention in a dynamic paradigm free from potentially confounding stimulus-driven activity using electroencephalography. Participants attended the cued side of a bilateral stimulus rotation and mentally counted how often one of two remembered sample orientations (i.e., the target) was displayed while ignoring the uncued side and non-target orientation. Afterwards, participants performed a delayed match-to-sample task, in which they indicated if the orientation of a probe stimulus matched the corresponding sample orientation (previously target or non-target). We observed dynamic alpha power reductions and slow negative waves around task-relevant points in space and time (i.e., onset of the target orientation in the cued hemifield) over posterior electrodes contralateral to the locus of attention. In contrast to static alpha power lateralization, these dynamic signatures correlated with subsequent memory performance (primarily detriments for matching probes of the non-target orientation), suggesting a preferential allocation of attention to task-relevant locations and time points at the expense of reduced resources and impaired performance for information outside the current focus of attention. Our findings suggest that humans can naturally and dynamically focus their attention at relevant points in space and time and that such spatio-temporal attention shifts can be reflected by dynamic alpha power modulations and slow negative potentials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charline Peylo
- Department of Psychology, Universität Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Larissa Behnke
- Department of Psychology, Universität Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Paul Sauseng
- Department of Psychology, Universität Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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2
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Radecke JO, Fiene M, Misselhorn J, Herrmann CS, Engel AK, Wolters CH, Schneider TR. Personalized alpha-tACS targeting left posterior parietal cortex modulates visuo-spatial attention and posterior evoked EEG activity. Brain Stimul 2023; 16:1047-1061. [PMID: 37353071 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2023.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Covert visuo-spatial attention is marked by the anticipatory lateralization of neuronal alpha activity in the posterior parietal cortex. Previous applications of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at the alpha frequency, however, were inconclusive regarding the causal contribution of oscillatory activity during visuo-spatial attention. OBJECTIVE Attentional shifts of behavior and electroencephalography (EEG) after-effects were assessed in a cued visuo-spatial attention paradigm. We hypothesized that parietal alpha-tACS shifts attention relative to the ipsilateral visual hemifield. Furthermore, we assumed that modulations of behavior and neurophysiology are related to individual electric field simulations. METHODS We applied personalized tACS at alpha and gamma frequencies to elucidate the role of oscillatory neuronal activity for visuo-spatial attention. Personalized tACS montages were algorithmically optimized to target individual left and right parietal regions that were defined by an EEG localizer. RESULTS Behavioral performance in the left hemifield was specifically increased by alpha-tACS compared to gamma-tACS targeting the left parietal cortex. This hemisphere-specific effect was observed despite the symmetry of simulated electric fields. In addition, visual event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes showed a reduced lateralization over posterior sites induced by left alpha-tACS. Neuronal sources of this effect were localized in the left premotor cortex. Interestingly, accuracy modulations induced by left parietal alpha-tACS were directly related to electric field magnitudes in the left premotor cortex. CONCLUSION Overall, results corroborate the notion that alpha lateralization plays a causal role in covert visuo-spatial attention and indicate an increased susceptibility of parietal and premotor brain regions of the left dorsal attention network to subtle tACS-neuromodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Ole Radecke
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Marina Fiene
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jonas Misselhorn
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Christoph S Herrmann
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, University of Oldenburg, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany; Research Center Neurosensory Science, University of Oldenburg, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany; Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all", Germany
| | - Andreas K Engel
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Carsten H Wolters
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany; Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, 48149, Münster, Germany
| | - Till R Schneider
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246, Hamburg, Germany
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Li Y, Chen X, Zhang Q, Xu W, Li J, Ji F, Dong Q, Chen C, Li J. Effects of working memory span training on top-down attentional asymmetry at both neural and behavioral levels. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:5937-5946. [PMID: 36617305 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The leftward asymmetry of the visual field and posterior brain regions, a feature of the normal attention process, can be strengthened by brain stimulation, e.g. administering alpha frequency stimulation to the left posterior cortex. However, whether it can be strengthened by cognitive training, especially with nonlateralized tasks, is unknown. We used a dataset from a 2-month-long randomized controlled trial and compared the control group with 2 training groups trained with backward or forward memory span tasks. A lateralized change detection task with varied memory loads was administered as the pre-, mid-, and post-tests with simultaneous electroencephalographic recording. Intrasubject response variability (IRV) and the alpha modulation index (MI) were calculated. Analysis of IRV showed more enhanced leftward attentional bias in the backward group than in the other groups. Consistently, analysis of MI found that its enhancements in the left hemisphere (but not the right hemisphere) of the backward group were significantly higher than those of the other groups. Further analysis revealed that left MI changes predicted left IRV improvement. All of these results indicated that backward memory span training enhanced leftward attentional asymmetry at both the behavioral and neural levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, No.19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, P.R. China
| | - Xiongying Chen
- The National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders & Beijing Key Laboratory of Mental Disorders, Beijing Anding Hospital & the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, No.5, Ankang Hutong, Xicheng District, Beijing 100088, P.R. China
| | - Qiumei Zhang
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, 45# Jianshe South Road, Jining, Shandong 272013, P.R. China
| | - Wending Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, No.19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, P.R. China
| | - Jin Li
- Brainnetome Center, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 95 Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, P.R. China.,National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 95 Zhongguancun East Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, P.R. China
| | - Feng Ji
- School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, 45# Jianshe South Road, Jining, Shandong 272013, P.R. China
| | - Qi Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, No.19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, P.R. China
| | - Chuansheng Chen
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, 4201 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway,CA 92697, United States
| | - Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, No.19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100875, P.R. China
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Lee TL, Lee H, Kang N. A meta-analysis showing improved cognitive performance in healthy young adults with transcranial alternating current stimulation. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2023; 8:1. [PMID: 36593247 PMCID: PMC9807644 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-022-00152-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation used for improving cognitive functions via delivering weak electrical stimulation with a certain frequency. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated the effects of tACS protocols on cognitive functions in healthy young adults. We identified 56 qualified studies that compared cognitive functions between tACS and sham control groups, as indicated by cognitive performances and cognition-related reaction time. Moderator variable analyses specified effect size according to (a) timing of tACS, (b) frequency band of simulation, (c) targeted brain region, and (b) cognitive domain, respectively. Random-effects model meta-analysis revealed small positive effects of tACS protocols on cognitive performances. The moderator variable analyses found significant effects for online-tACS with theta frequency band, online-tACS with gamma frequency band, and offline-tACS with theta frequency band. Moreover, cognitive performances were improved in online- and offline-tACS with theta frequency band on either prefrontal and posterior parietal cortical regions, and further both online- and offline-tACS with theta frequency band enhanced executive function. Online-tACS with gamma frequency band on posterior parietal cortex was effective for improving cognitive performances, and the cognitive improvements appeared in executive function and perceptual-motor function. These findings suggested that tACS protocols with specific timing and frequency band may effectively improve cognitive performances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tae Lee Lee
- Department of Human Movement Science, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
- Neuromechanical Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Hanall Lee
- Department of Human Movement Science, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
- Neuromechanical Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Nyeonju Kang
- Department of Human Movement Science, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea.
- Neuromechanical Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea.
- Division of Sport Science & Sport Science Institute, Incheon National University, Incheon, South Korea.
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Seghier ML. Multiple functions of the angular gyrus at high temporal resolution. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:7-46. [PMID: 35674917 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02512-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Here, the functions of the angular gyrus (AG) are evaluated in the light of current evidence from transcranial magnetic/electric stimulation (TMS/TES) and EEG/MEG studies. 65 TMS/TES and 52 EEG/MEG studies were examined in this review. TMS/TES literature points to a causal role in semantic processing, word and number processing, attention and visual search, self-guided movement, memory, and self-processing. EEG/MEG studies reported AG effects at latencies varying between 32 and 800 ms in a wide range of domains, with a high probability to detect an effect at 300-350 ms post-stimulus onset. A three-phase unifying model revolving around the process of sensemaking is then suggested: (1) early AG involvement in defining the current context, within the first 200 ms, with a bias toward the right hemisphere; (2) attention re-orientation and retrieval of relevant information within 200-500 ms; and (3) cross-modal integration at late latencies with a bias toward the left hemisphere. This sensemaking process can favour accuracy (e.g. for word and number processing) or plausibility (e.g. for comprehension and social cognition). Such functions of the AG depend on the status of other connected regions. The much-debated semantic role is also discussed as follows: (1) there is a strong TMS/TES evidence for a causal semantic role, (2) current EEG/MEG evidence is however weak, but (3) the existing arguments against a semantic role for the AG are not strong. Some outstanding questions for future research are proposed. This review recognizes that cracking the role(s) of the AG in cognition is possible only when its exact contributions within the default mode network are teased apart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed L Seghier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE. .,Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
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6
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Middag-van Spanje M, Schuhmann T, Nijboer T, van der Werf O, Sack AT, van Heugten C. Study protocol of transcranial electrical stimulation at alpha frequency applied during rehabilitation: A randomized controlled trial in chronic stroke patients with visuospatial neglect. BMC Neurol 2022; 22:402. [PMID: 36324088 PMCID: PMC9628038 DOI: 10.1186/s12883-022-02932-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A frequent post stroke disorder in lateralized attention is visuospatial neglect (VSN). As VSN has a strong negative impact on recovery in general and independence during daily life, optimal treatment is deemed urgent. Next to traditional stroke treatment, non-invasive brain stimulation offers the potential to facilitate stroke recovery as a complementary approach. In the present study, visual scanning training (VST; the current conventional treatment) will be combined with transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to evaluate the additive effects of repeated sessions of tACS in combination with six-weeks VST rehabilitation. METHODS In this double-blind randomized placebo-controlled intervention study (RCT), we will compare the effects of active tACS plus VST to sham (placebo) tACS plus VST, both encompassing 18 VST training sessions, 40 minutes each, during 6 weeks. Chronic stroke patients with VSN (> 6 months post-stroke onset) are considered eligible for study participation. In total 22 patients are needed for the study. The primary outcome is change in performance on a cancellation task. Secondary outcomes are changes in performance on a visual detection task, two line bisection tasks, and three measures to assess changes in activities of daily living. Assessment is at baseline, directly after the first and ninth training session, after the last training session (post training), and 1 week and 3 months after termination of the training (follow-up). DISCUSSION If effective, a tACS-VST rehabilitation program could be implemented as a treatment option for VSN. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov ; registration number: NCT05466487; registration date: July 18, 2022 retrospectively registered; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05466487.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marij Middag-van Spanje
- grid.5012.60000 0001 0481 6099Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands ,InteraktContour, Nunspeet, The Netherlands
| | - Teresa Schuhmann
- grid.5012.60000 0001 0481 6099Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands ,grid.5012.60000 0001 0481 6099Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Tanja Nijboer
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands ,grid.7692.a0000000090126352Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht and De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Olof van der Werf
- grid.5012.60000 0001 0481 6099Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands ,grid.5012.60000 0001 0481 6099Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Alexander T. Sack
- grid.5012.60000 0001 0481 6099Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands ,grid.5012.60000 0001 0481 6099Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands ,grid.5012.60000 0001 0481 6099Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Caroline van Heugten
- Limburg Brain Injury Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands ,grid.5012.60000 0001 0481 6099Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands ,grid.412966.e0000 0004 0480 1382School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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7
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Fronto-parietal alpha ERD and visuo-spatial attention in pregnant women. Brain Res 2022; 1798:148130. [DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.148130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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8
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Schuhmann T, Duecker F, Middag-van Spanje M, Gallotto S, van Heugten C, Schrijnemaekers AC, van Oostenbrugge R, Sack AT. Transcranial alternating brain stimulation at alpha frequency reduces hemispatial neglect symptoms in stroke patients. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2022; 22:100326. [PMID: 35990733 PMCID: PMC9364103 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Objective Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) may help alleviate attention deficits in stroke patients with hemispatial neglect by modulating oscillatory brain activity. We applied high-definition (HD)-tACS at alpha frequency over the contralesional hemisphere to support unilateral oscillatory alpha activity and correct for the pathologically altered attention bias in neglect patients. Methods We performed a within-subject, placebo-controlled study in which sixteen stroke patients with hemispatial neglect underwent 10 Hz (alpha) as well as sham (placebo) stimulation targeting the contralesional posterior parietal cortex. Attentional bias was measured with a computerized visual detection paradigm and two standard paper-and-pencil neglect tests. Results We revealed a significant shift of attentional resources after alpha-HD-tACS, but not sham tACS, toward the ipsilateral and thus contralesional hemifield leading to a reduction in neglect symptoms, measured with a computerized visual detection paradigm and a widely used standard paper and pencil neglect tests. Conclusions We showed a significant alpha-HD-tACS-induced shift of attentional resources toward the contralesional hemifield, thus leading to a reduction in neglect symptoms. Importantly, HD-tACS effects persisted after the stimulation itself had ended. This tACS protocol, based on intrinsic oscillatory processes, may be an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for neglect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Schuhmann
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Felix Duecker
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Marij Middag-van Spanje
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,InteraktContour, Nunspeet, the Netherlands
| | - Stefano Gallotto
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,EEG and Epilepsy Unit, University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine of Geneva, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Caroline van Heugten
- Limburg Brain Injury Center, the Netherlands.,Department of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience (FPN), Maastricht University, the Netherlands.,School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML), Maastricht University Medical Center, the Netherlands
| | - Anne-Claire Schrijnemaekers
- Adelante Rehabilitation Centre, Department of Brain Injury, Hoensbroek, the Netherlands.,Mondriaan Mental Health Centre, Department of Adult Psychiatry, Heerlen, the Netherlands
| | - Robert van Oostenbrugge
- Department of Neurology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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9
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Wang Y, Hou P, Li W, Zhang M, Zheng H, Chen X. The influence of different current-intensity transcranial alternating current stimulation on the eyes-open and eyes-closed resting-state electroencephalography. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:934382. [PMID: 36061496 PMCID: PMC9429605 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.934382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applies a sinusoidal oscillating current to modulate intrinsic oscillatory activity. Relevant studies of tACS have indicated that tACS can increase spontaneous brain activity in the occipital area. However, few studies have compared the effects of tACS with different current intensities on spontaneous brain activity in the occipital region. In this study, 10-Hz tACS was delivered to the occipital region at different current intensities (i.e., 1 and 2 mA). We investigated the effect of the tACS on both eyes-open and eyes-closed resting-state electroencephalography (EEG). A total of 20 subjects and fifteen subjects were recruited to participate in the 1-mA tACS experiment and the 2-mA tACS experiment, respectively. Ten subjects participated in both experiments. The experimental results demonstrated that both 1-mA tACS and 2-mA tACS could increase occipital resting-state EEG activities. For the eyes-open condition, alpha activity elicited by 2-mA tACS increased significantly greater than that elicited by 1-mA tACS, while 1-mA tACS could produce greater alpha activity compared to 2 mA for the eyes-closed condition. These results suggested that the optimal current intensity might be different for the eyes-open and eyes-closed resting-state conditions, laying a foundation for the subsequent study of occipital tACS on task-state EEG activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
- School of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Peiyun Hou
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Wenjing Li
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Mingxing Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Hongliang Zheng
- School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaogang Chen
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
- *Correspondence: Xiaogang Chen,
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10
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Moretti J, Marinovic W, Harvey AR, Rodger J, Visser TAW. Offline Parietal Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation or Alpha Frequency Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation Has No Effect on Visuospatial or Temporal Attention. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:903977. [PMID: 35774555 PMCID: PMC9237453 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.903977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-invasive brain stimulation is a growing field with potentially wide-ranging clinical and basic science applications due to its ability to transiently and safely change brain excitability. In this study we include two types of stimulation: repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). Single session stimulations with either technique have previously been reported to induce changes in attention. To better understand and compare the effectiveness of each technique and the basis of their effects on cognition we assessed changes to both temporal and visuospatial attention using an attentional blink task and a line bisection task following offline stimulation with an intermittent theta burst (iTBS) rTMS protocol or 10 Hz tACS. Additionally, we included a novel rTMS stimulation technique, low-intensity (LI-)rTMS, also using an iTBS protocol, which uses stimulation intensities an order of magnitude below conventional rTMS. Animal models show that low-intensity rTMS modulates cortical excitability despite sub-action potential threshold stimulation. Stimulation was delivered in healthy participants over the right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC) using a within-subjects design (n = 24). Analyses showed no evidence for an effect of any stimulation technique on spatial biases in the line bisection task or on magnitude of the attentional blink. Our results suggests that rTMS and LI-rTMS using iTBS protocol and 10 Hz tACS over rPPC do not modulate performance in tasks assessing visuospatial or temporal attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Moretti
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Welber Marinovic
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Alan R. Harvey
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth, WA, Australia
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Lions Eye Institute, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Jennifer Rodger
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science, Perth, WA, Australia
- *Correspondence: Jennifer Rodger,
| | - Troy A. W. Visser
- School of Psychological Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
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11
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Parietal but not temporoparietal alpha-tACS modulates endogenous visuospatial attention. Cortex 2022; 154:149-166. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Revised: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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12
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Janssens SEW, Oever ST, Sack AT, de Graaf TA. "Broadband Alpha Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation": Exploring a new biologically calibrated brain stimulation protocol. Neuroimage 2022; 253:119109. [PMID: 35306159 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can be used to study causal contributions of oscillatory brain mechanisms to cognition and behavior. For instance, individual alpha frequency (IAF) tACS was reported to enhance alpha power and impact visuospatial attention performance. Unfortunately, such results have been inconsistent and difficult to replicate. In tACS, stimulation generally involves one frequency, sometimes individually calibrated to a peak value observed in an M/EEG power spectrum. Yet, the 'peak' actually observed in such power spectra often contains a broader range of frequencies, raising the question whether a biologically calibrated tACS protocol containing this fuller range of alpha-band frequencies might be more effective. Here, we introduce 'Broadband-alpha-tACS', a complex individually calibrated electrical stimulation protocol. We band-pass filtered left posterior resting-state EEG data around the IAF (± 2 Hz), and converted that time series into an electrical waveform for tACS stimulation of that same left posterior parietal cortex location. In other words, we stimulated a brain region with a 'replay' of its own alpha-band frequency content, based on spontaneous activity. Within-subjects (N = 24), we compared to a sham tACS session the effects of broadband-alpha tACS, power-matched spectral inverse ('alpha-removed') control tACS, and individual alpha frequency (IAF) tACS, on EEG alpha power and performance in an endogenous attention task previously reported to be affected by alpha tACS. Broadband-alpha-tACS significantly modulated attention task performance (i.e., reduced the rightward visuospatial attention bias in trials without distractors, and reduced attention benefits). Alpha-removed tACS also reduced the rightward visuospatial attention bias. IAF-tACS did not significantly modulate attention task performance compared to sham tACS, but also did not statistically significantly differ from broadband-alpha-tACS. This new broadband-alpha-tACS approach seems promising, but should be further explored and validated in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanice E W Janssens
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - Sanne Ten Oever
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Language and Computation in Neural Systems Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Brain+Nerve Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+ (MUMC+), Maastricht, Netherlands; Center for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Tom A de Graaf
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, Netherlands; Center for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
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13
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Kemmerer SK, Sack AT, de Graaf TA, Ten Oever S, De Weerd P, Schuhmann T. Frequency-specific transcranial neuromodulation of alpha power alters visuospatial attention performance. Brain Res 2022; 1782:147834. [PMID: 35176250 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.147834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 10Hz has been shown to modulate spatial attention. However, the frequency-specificity and the oscillatory changes underlying this tACS effect are still largely unclear. Here, we applied high-definition tACS at individual alpha frequency (IAF), two control frequencies (IAF+/-2Hz) and sham to the left posterior parietal cortex and measured its effects on visuospatial attention performance and offline alpha power (using electroencephalography, EEG). We revealed a behavioural and electrophysiological stimulation effect relative to sham for IAF but not control frequency stimulation conditions: there was a leftward lateralization of alpha power for IAF tACS, which differed from sham for the first out of three minutes following tACS. At a high value of this EEG effect (moderation effect), we observed a leftward attention bias relative to sham. This effect was task-specific, i.e. it could be found in an endogenous attention but not in a detection task. Only in the IAF tACS condition, we also found a correlation between the magnitude of the alpha lateralization and the attentional bias effect. Our results support a functional role of alpha oscillations in visuospatial attention and the potential of tACS to modulate it. The frequency-specificity of the effects suggests that an individualization of the stimulation frequency is necessary in heterogeneous target groups with a large variation in IAF.
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Affiliation(s)
- S K Kemmerer
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - A T Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Brain + Nerve Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - T A de Graaf
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - S Ten Oever
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - P De Weerd
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - T Schuhmann
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, The Netherlands; Brain Imaging Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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14
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Guo X, Li Z, Zhang L, Liu Q. Modulation of Visual Working Memory Performance via Different Theta Frequency Stimulations. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11101358. [PMID: 34679422 PMCID: PMC8533911 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11101358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have found that transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can significantly enhance individuals’ working memory performance. However, it is still unclear whether the memory performance enhancement was attributed to the quantity or the quality of working memory. The current study applies tACS over the right parietal cortex at slower (4 Hz) and faster (7 Hz) frequencies to participants with high and low working memory capacities in a color recall memory task. This enabled us to explore the tACS effects on the quantity and quality of the working memory for individuals with different memory capacities. The results revealed that slower frequency (4 Hz) tACS enhanced the quality of memory representations, and faster frequency (7 Hz) tACS principally impaired the quantity of working memory. The underlying mechanism of this effect might be that tACS at different frequencies modulate the memory resources, which then selectively affect the quantity and quality of memory representations. Importantly, individual traits, as well as memory strategies, may be crucial factors to consider when testing the effect of tACS on working memory performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Guo
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; (X.G.); (L.Z.)
| | - Ziyuan Li
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China;
| | - Liangyou Zhang
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; (X.G.); (L.Z.)
| | - Qiang Liu
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; (X.G.); (L.Z.)
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian 116029, China;
- Correspondence:
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15
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de Graaf TA, Duecker F. No effects of rhythmic visual stimulation on target discrimination: An online alpha entrainment experiment. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:3340-3351. [PMID: 34592020 PMCID: PMC9542333 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 09/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Previous research established that rhythmic sensory stimulation can affect subsequent stimulus perception, possibly through 'entrainment' of oscillations in the brain. Alpha frequency is a natural target for visual entrainment, because fluctuations in posterior alpha oscillations have been linked to visual target detection or discrimination. On the other hand, alpha oscillations also relate to attentional mechanisms, such as attentional orienting or selection. Previous visual alpha entrainment studies focused on differential processing of targets presented in-phase with the preceding rhythmic stimulation relative to out-of-phase targets (an 'SOA effect'), putatively related to the phase of entrained neuronal alpha oscillations. Fewer studies probed the consequences of rhythmic alpha stimulation for attention mechanisms related to alpha power. Here, we asked whether alpha stimulation of one hemifield has similar effects on reaction times as we see for increased alpha synchronization in magneto/electroencephalography (M/EEG) studies (i.e., more alpha means impaired processing and functional inhibition). We implemented a task inspired by attention studies, assessing reaction times to ipsilateral vs. contralateral visual targets, with and without concurrent presentation of distractors. Yet, in place of any attention cues, we presented a rhythmic, vs. arrhythmic, alpha-frequency train of visual flashes to one hemifield, in a large sample size (N = 115) in an online experiment. We found clear evidence that flash train rhythmicity did not impact task performance. We also found that the spatial congruence between the unilateral flash train and the subsequent visual target did impact response times but only in the presence of contralateral distractor stimuli. We discuss implications, limitations and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom A de Graaf
- Brain Stimulation and Cognition Section, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Center for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Felix Duecker
- Brain Stimulation and Cognition Section, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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16
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Janssens SEW, Sack AT, Ten Oever S, de Graaf TA. Calibrating rhythmic stimulation parameters to individual EEG markers: the consistency of individual alpha frequency in practical lab settings. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:3418-3437. [PMID: 34363269 PMCID: PMC9541964 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Rhythmic stimulation can be applied to modulate neuronal oscillations. Such 'entrainment' is optimized when stimulation frequency is individually-calibrated based on magneto/encephalography markers. It remains unknown how consistent such individual markers are across days/sessions, within a session, or across cognitive states, hemispheres, and estimation methods, especially in a realistic, practical, lab setting. We here estimated individual alpha frequency (IAF) repeatedly from short EEG measurements at rest or during an attention task (cognitive state), using single parieto-occipital electrodes in 24 participants on four days (between-sessions), with multiple measurements over an hour on one day (within-session). First, we introduce an algorithm to automatically reject power spectra without a sufficiently clear peak to ensure unbiased IAF estimations. Then we estimated IAF via the traditional 'maximum' method and a 'Gaussian fit' method. IAF was reliable within- and between-sessions for both cognitive states and hemispheres, though task-IAF estimates tended to be more variable. Overall, the 'Gaussian fit' method was more reliable than the 'maximum' method. Furthermore, we evaluated how far from an approximated 'true' task-related IAF the selected 'stimulation frequency' was, when calibrating this frequency based on a short rest-EEG, a short task-EEG, or simply selecting 10Hertz for all participants. For the 'maximum' method, rest-EEG calibration was best, followed by task-EEG, and then 10 Hertz. For the 'Gaussian fit' method, rest-EEG and task-EEG-based calibration were similarly accurate, and better than 10 Hertz. These results lead to concrete recommendations about valid, and automated, estimation of individual oscillation markers in experimental and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanice E W Janssens
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Brain+Nerve Centre , Maastricht University Medical Centre+ (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Center for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Sanne Ten Oever
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Language and Computation in Neural Systems Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.,Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Tom A de Graaf
- Section Brain Stimulation and Cognition, Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht, the Netherlands.,Center for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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17
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Coldea A, Morand S, Veniero D, Harvey M, Thut G. Parietal alpha tACS shows inconsistent effects on visuospatial attention. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255424. [PMID: 34351972 PMCID: PMC8341497 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a popular technique that has been used for manipulating brain oscillations and inferring causality regarding the brain-behaviour relationship. Although it is a promising tool, the variability of tACS results has raised questions regarding the robustness and reproducibility of its effects. Building on recent research using tACS to modulate visuospatial attention, we here attempted to replicate findings of lateralized parietal tACS at alpha frequency to induce a change in attention bias away from the contra- towards the ipsilateral visual hemifield. 40 healthy participants underwent tACS in two separate sessions where either 10 Hz tACS or sham was applied via a high-density montage over the left parietal cortex at 1.5 mA for 20 min, while performance was assessed in an endogenous attention task. Task and tACS parameters were chosen to match those of previous studies reporting positive effects. Unlike these studies, we did not observe lateralized parietal alpha tACS to affect attention deployment or visual processing across the hemifields as compared to sham. Likewise, additional resting electroencephalography immediately offline to tACS did not reveal any notable effects on individual alpha power or frequency. Our study emphasizes the need for more replication studies and systematic investigations of the factors that drive tACS effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andra Coldea
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanie Morand
- School of Life Sciences, MVLS College, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Domenica Veniero
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Monika Harvey
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Gregor Thut
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
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18
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Schneider D, Herbst SK, Klatt LI, Wöstmann M. Target enhancement or distractor suppression? Functionally distinct alpha oscillations form the basis of attention. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:3256-3265. [PMID: 33973310 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in attention research have been propelled by the debate on target enhancement versus distractor suppression. A predominant neural correlate of attention is the modulation of alpha oscillatory power (~10 Hz), which signifies shifts of attention in time, space and between sensory modalities. However, the underspecified functional role of alpha oscillations limits the progress of tracking down the neurocognitive basis of attention. In this short opinion article, we review and critically examine a synthesis of three conceptual and methodological aspects that are indispensable for a mechanistic understanding of the role of alpha oscillations for attention. (a) Precise mapping of the anatomical source and the temporal response profile of neural signals reveals distinct alpha oscillatory processes that implement facilitatory versus suppressive components of attention. (b) A testable framework enables unanimous association of alpha modulation with either target enhancement or different forms of distractor suppression (active vs. automatic). (c) Linking anatomically specified alpha oscillations to behavior reveals the causal nature of alpha oscillations for attention. The three reviewed aspects substantially enrich study design, data analysis and interpretation of results to achieve the goal of understanding how anatomically specified and functionally relevant neural oscillations contribute to the implementation of facilitatory versus suppressive components of attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Schneider
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Sophie K Herbst
- NeuroSpin, CEA, DRF/Joliot, INSERM, Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Laura-Isabelle Klatt
- Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Malte Wöstmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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19
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Meng A, Kaiser M, de Graaf TA, Dücker F, Sack AT, De Weerd P, van de Ven V. Transcranial alternating current stimulation at theta frequency to left parietal cortex impairs associative, but not perceptual, memory encoding. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2021; 182:107444. [PMID: 33895350 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2021.107444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Neural oscillations in the theta range (4-8 Hz) are thought to underlie associative memory function in the hippocampal-cortical network. While there is ample evidence supporting a role of theta oscillations in animal and human memory, most evidence is correlational. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) can be employed to modulate cortical oscillatory activity to influence brain activity, and possibly modulate deeper brain regions, such as hippocampus, through strong and reliable cortico-hippocampal functional connections. We applied focal transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at 6 Hz over left parietal cortex to modulate brain activity in the putative cortico-hippocampal network to influence associative memory encoding. After encoding and brain stimulation, participants completed an associative memory and a perceptual recognition task. Results showed that theta tACS significantly decreased associative memory performance but did not affect perceptual memory performance. These results show that parietal theta tACS modulates associative processing separately from perceptual processing, and further substantiate the hypothesis that theta oscillations are implicated in the cortico-hippocampal network and associative encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa Meng
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Max Kaiser
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Tom A de Graaf
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (MBIC), Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Felix Dücker
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (MBIC), Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (MBIC), Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Peter De Weerd
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (MBIC), Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Vincent van de Ven
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Center (MBIC), Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands.
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20
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Xie J, Peng M, Lu J, Xiao C, Zong X, Wang M, Gao D, Qin Y, Liu T. Enhancement of Event-Related Desynchronization in Motor Imagery Based on Transcranial Electrical Stimulation. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:635351. [PMID: 33815080 PMCID: PMC8012503 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.635351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Due to the individual differences controlling brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), the applicability and accuracy of BCIs based on motor imagery (MI-BCIs) are limited. To improve the performance of BCIs, this article examined the effect of transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) on brain activity during MI. This article designed an experimental paradigm that combines tES and MI and examined the effects of tES based on the measurements of electroencephalogram (EEG) features in MI processing, including the power spectral density (PSD) and dynamic event-related desynchronization (ERD). Finally, we investigated the effect of tES on the accuracy of MI classification using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). The results showed that the ERD of the μ and β rhythms in the left-hand MI task was enhanced after electrical stimulation with a significant effect in the tDCS group. The average classification accuracy of the transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) group and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) group (88.19% and 89.93% respectively) were improved significantly compared to the pre-and pseudo stimulation groups. These findings indicated that tES can improve the performance and applicability of BCI and that tDCS was a potential approach in regulating brain activity and enhancing valid features during noninvasive MI-BCI processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Xie
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Maoqin Peng
- College of Electronic Engineering, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, China
| | - Jingqing Lu
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Chao Xiao
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xin Zong
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Manqing Wang
- School of Computer Science, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, China
| | - Dongrui Gao
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- School of Computer Science, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, China
| | - Yun Qin
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Tiejun Liu
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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21
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Wöstmann M, Maess B, Obleser J. Orienting auditory attention in time: Lateralized alpha power reflects spatio-temporal filtering. Neuroimage 2020; 228:117711. [PMID: 33385562 PMCID: PMC7903158 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The deployment of neural alpha (8–12 Hz) lateralization in service of spatial attention is well-established: Alpha power increases in the cortical hemisphere ipsilateral to the attended hemifield, and decreases in the contralateral hemisphere, respectively. Much less is known about humans’ ability to deploy such alpha lateralization in time, and to thus exploit alpha power as a spatio-temporal filter. Here we show that spatially lateralized alpha power does signify – beyond the direction of spatial attention – the distribution of attention in time and thereby qualifies as a spatio-temporal attentional filter. Participants (N = 20) selectively listened to spoken numbers presented on one side (left vs right), while competing numbers were presented on the other side. Key to our hypothesis, temporal foreknowledge was manipulated via a visual cue, which was either instructive and indicated the to-be-probed number position (70% valid) or neutral. Temporal foreknowledge did guide participants’ attention, as they recognized numbers from the to-be-attended side more accurately following valid cues. In the magnetoencephalogram (MEG), spatial attention to the left versus right side induced lateralization of alpha power in all temporal cueing conditions. Modulation of alpha lateralization at the 0.8 Hz presentation rate of spoken numbers was stronger following instructive compared to neutral temporal cues. Critically, we found stronger modulation of lateralized alpha power specifically at the onsets of temporally cued numbers. These results suggest that the precisely timed hemispheric lateralization of alpha power qualifies as a spatio-temporal attentional filter mechanism susceptible to top-down behavioural goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Wöstmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Germany; Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
| | - Burkhard Maess
- Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Germany; Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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22
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The Modulation of Cognitive Performance with Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation: A Systematic Review of Frequency-Specific Effects. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10120932. [PMID: 33276533 PMCID: PMC7761592 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that allows the manipulation of intrinsic brain oscillations. Numerous studies have applied tACS in the laboratory to enhance cognitive performance. With this systematic review, we aim to provide an overview of frequency-specific tACS effects on a range of cognitive functions in healthy adults. This may help to transfer stimulation protocols to real-world applications. We conducted a systematic literature search on PubMed and Cochrane databases and considered tACS studies in healthy adults (age > 18 years) that focused on cognitive performance. The search yielded n = 109 studies, of which n = 57 met the inclusion criteria. The results indicate that theta-tACS was beneficial for several cognitive functions, including working memory, executive functions, and declarative memory. Gamma-tACS enhanced performance in both auditory and visual perception but it did not change performance in tasks of executive functions. For attention, the results were less consistent but point to an improvement in performance with alpha- or gamma-tACS. We discuss these findings and point to important considerations that would precede a transfer to real-world applications.
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Kasten FH, Wendeln T, Stecher HI, Herrmann CS. Hemisphere-specific, differential effects of lateralized, occipital-parietal α- versus γ-tACS on endogenous but not exogenous visual-spatial attention. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12270. [PMID: 32703961 PMCID: PMC7378174 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68992-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Orienting spatial attention has been associated with interhemispheric asymmetry of power in the α- and γ-band. Specifically, increased α-power has been linked to the inhibition of unattended sensory streams (e.g. the unattended visual field), while increased γ-power is associated with active sensory processing. Here, we aimed to differentially modulate endogenous and exogenous visual-spatial attention using transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). In a single-blind, within-subject design, participants performed several blocks of a spatial cueing task comprised of endogenous and exogenous cues while receiving lateralized α- or γ-tACS or no stimulation over left or right occipital-parietal areas. We found a significant, differential effect of α- and γ-tACS on endogenous (top-down) spatial attention but not on exogenous (bottom-up) attention. The effect was specific to tACS applied to the left hemisphere and driven by a modulation of attentional disengagement and re-orientation as measured during invalid trials. Our results indicate a causal role of α-/γ-oscillations for top-down (endogenous) attention. They may further suggest a left hemispheric dominance in controlling interhemispheric α-/γ-power asymmetry. The absence of an effect on exogenous attention may be indicative of a differential role of α-/γ-oscillations during different attention types or spatially distinct attentional subsystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian H Kasten
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, Cluster for Excellence "Hearing for All", European Medical School, Carl Von Ossietzky University, Ammerlaender Heerstr. 114-118, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
- Neuroimaging Unit, European Medical School, Carl Von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Tea Wendeln
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, Cluster for Excellence "Hearing for All", European Medical School, Carl Von Ossietzky University, Ammerlaender Heerstr. 114-118, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Heiko I Stecher
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, Cluster for Excellence "Hearing for All", European Medical School, Carl Von Ossietzky University, Ammerlaender Heerstr. 114-118, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Christoph S Herrmann
- Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, Cluster for Excellence "Hearing for All", European Medical School, Carl Von Ossietzky University, Ammerlaender Heerstr. 114-118, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
- Neuroimaging Unit, European Medical School, Carl Von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany.
- Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl Von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany.
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Deng Y, Reinhart RMG, Choi I, Shinn-Cunningham BG. Causal links between parietal alpha activity and spatial auditory attention. eLife 2019; 8:e51184. [PMID: 31782732 PMCID: PMC6904218 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Both visual and auditory spatial selective attention result in lateralized alpha (8-14 Hz) oscillatory power in parietal cortex: alpha increases in the hemisphere ipsilateral to attentional focus. Brain stimulation studies suggest a causal relationship between parietal alpha and suppression of the representation of contralateral visual space. However, there is no evidence that parietal alpha controls auditory spatial attention. Here, we performed high definition transcranial alternating current stimulation (HD-tACS) on human subjects performing an auditory task in which they directed attention based on either spatial or nonspatial features. Alpha (10 Hz) but not theta (6 Hz) HD-tACS of right parietal cortex interfered with attending left but not right auditory space. Parietal stimulation had no effect for nonspatial auditory attention. Moreover, performance in post-stimulation trials returned rapidly to baseline. These results demonstrate a causal, frequency-, hemispheric-, and task-specific effect of parietal alpha brain stimulation on top-down control of auditory spatial attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqi Deng
- Biomedical EngineeringBoston UniversityBostonUnited States
| | | | - Inyong Choi
- Communication Sciences and DisordersUniversity of IowaIowa CityUnited States
| | - Barbara G Shinn-Cunningham
- Biomedical EngineeringBoston UniversityBostonUnited States
- Neuroscience InstituteCarnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburghUnited States
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