Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026
06:14
The Combination of Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation and Electroencephalogram
Published on: October 10, 2025
Enhancing Affective Cognitive Control in Bipolar Disorder Using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation: A
Jacob D Kraft1, Laura Locarno2, Takakuni Suzuki3
1Department of Psychology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, USA.
Bipolar Disorders
|July 1, 2026
Summary
This pilot study found transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) to be a tolerable treatment for bipolar disorder (BD), showing preliminary promise in improving affective cognitive control and neural coordination.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Neuromodulation
Background:
- Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by emotion dysregulation, linked to impaired cognitive control.
- Neural synchrony, specifically theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) in the prefrontal cortex, is crucial for cognitive control and is deficient in BD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility and efficacy of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) for enhancing theta-gamma PAC in individuals with BD.
- To investigate tACS's potential to improve affective cognitive control.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, randomized, controlled crossover trial involving 18 participants with BD.
- Participants underwent an emotional Go/No-Go task with interleaved resting-state EEG recordings during active and sham tACS sessions.
- EEG data analyzed for theta-power and theta-gamma PAC; behavioral performance and tolerability were also assessed.
Main Results:
- Active tACS was well-tolerated, with no significant difference in side effects compared to sham stimulation.
- Small effect sizes indicated a consistent pattern of improvement in discriminability, theta-power, and theta-gamma PAC with active tACS relative to sham.
Conclusions:
- Thirty minutes of tACS is a feasible and tolerable intervention for individuals with BD.
- tACS shows preliminary promise for enhancing affective cognitive control, warranting further investigation into optimal parameters for sustained effects.
