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Neuromodulation of Working Memory: Mechanisms, Targets, and Behavioral Outcomes
Seyed Kiarash Sadat Rafiei1, Fatemeh Ghorbani2, Janan Rezaei3
1School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Neuroscience Insights
|June 22, 2026
Summary
Neuromodulation techniques offer insights into working memory (WM) function and potential therapies. While effects are modest, stimulation may bias WM control variables rather than increase capacity.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroscience
- Neuromodulation
Background:
- Working memory (WM) is crucial for goal-directed cognition but declines with aging and in neurological disorders.
- Neuromodulation techniques are investigated for probing WM circuit function and as potential therapeutic interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review evidence on various neuromodulation techniques and their effects on distinct working memory subprocesses.
- To explore whether neuromodulation uniformly enhances WM or influences specific control mechanisms.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of studies employing transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), theta-burst stimulation (TBS), transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS).
Main Results:
- Neuromodulation effects on WM are generally modest and heterogeneous across different modalities.
- Evidence suggests stimulation influences WM by biasing gain, timing, and plasticity rather than solely increasing capacity.
Conclusions:
- Further research requires precise dosing, targeting, and computation-aligned outcomes for reproducible and mechanistically interpretable neuromodulation effects on WM.
- Neuromodulation shows potential for understanding and modulating WM, but requires refined application for clinical translation.
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