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Concurrent Electroencephalography Recording During Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation tACS
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Discrete sampling in perception via neuronal oscillations-Evidence from rhythmic, non-invasive brain stimulation
Florian H Kasten1,2, Christoph S Herrmann1,2,3
1Experimental Psychology Lab, Department of Psychology, Cluster of Excellence "Hearing for All", European Medical School, Carl von Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany.
The European Journal of Neuroscience
|October 13, 2020
Summary
Perception may be discrete, not continuous. Neural oscillations, modulated by rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), may implement this brain discretization process.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Perception Research
Background:
- Everyday perception feels continuous, but phenomena suggest it might be discrete.
- The brain mechanisms underlying potential perceptual discretization are not fully understood.
- Neural oscillations, especially at lower frequencies, are implicated as a potential mechanism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how the brain implements discrete perception.
- To explore the role of neural oscillations in discretized perception.
- To review studies using rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to probe this hypothesis.
Main Methods:
- Overview of the core mechanisms of rTMS and tACS.
- Review of studies employing rTMS and tACS to investigate discretized perception.
- Contrast of successful and unsuccessful experimental outcomes.
- Discussion of methodological challenges and pitfalls.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests neural oscillations may underlie discrete perception.
- rTMS and tACS can entrain brain oscillations to study their perceptual roles.
- Studies show varied results, with some supporting and others failing to support the hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- Neural oscillations are a plausible mechanism for perceptual discretization.
- rTMS and tACS are valuable tools for investigating brain oscillations in perception.
- Further research is needed to overcome methodological challenges and clarify the role of oscillations.
