Aligning Event-Related Potentials with Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation for Modulation-a Review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Brain Stimulation

Background:

• Event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related oscillations (EROs) are crucial neural correlates of cognitive processes.
• Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques offer ways to modulate brain activity.
• Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is a prominent NIBS method for influencing neural oscillations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To elucidate the interplay between ERPs, EROs, and NIBS, with a focus on tACS.
• To review the application of conventional tACS in modulating specific ERP components.
• To introduce and discuss the emerging technique of ERP-aligned tACS.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on ERPs, EROs, and NIBS.
• Analysis of studies investigating the effects of tACS on neural oscillations and cognitive performance.
• Examination of research employing ERP-aligned tACS for targeted neural modulation.

Main Results:

• tACS effectively modulates neural oscillations and cognitive functions.
• Conventional tACS can target individual ERP components.
• ERP-aligned tACS demonstrates potential for optimizing stimulation by synchronizing with neural events.

Conclusions:

• A complex relationship exists between ERPs, EROs, and NIBS.
• tACS, particularly ERP-aligned tACS, presents promising avenues for research into neural oscillations and cognition.
• Future research can leverage ERP-aligned tACS to enhance understanding of brain function and cognitive processes.