Poster presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS)

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Today I presented a poster at the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society.

Summary: In order for our memory to work successfully, we need to guide the retrieval of information and evaluate its authenticity. While the frontal part of the brain (prefrontal cortex) is involved in coordinating this memory retrieval, the posterior regions (posterior parietal cortex) keeps an eye on the accuracy of the retrieved information. However, little is known about the way these two brain regions interact. Brain activity shows specific rhythmical patterns (neural oscillations) that allow for the communication between brain regions in order to perform tasks like solving a math equation or retrieving a memory. Two specific rhythms are specifically important for memory: theta (3-7 Hz) and gamma (300-100 Hz). In the current experiment we stimulated the brain (with transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS)) in order to enhance these theta and gamma rhythms in the frontal and posterior regions of the brain. Our participants performed a memory task, while receiving this form of brain stimulation. We are still analyzing the results from this study, but initial analyses suggest that our brain stimulation did not make people remember more information, but it did increase the confidence people had in their memories. This last effect was specific to the stimulation that enhanced gamma, so this type of stimulation appears the most effective. For more detailed information, see the poster below.