Trial reportGeroScience2025
Boosting working memory in the elderly: driving prefrontal theta-gamma coupling via repeated neuromodulation.
Trial report in GeroScience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation on cognitive function in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025Pooled it
- Long-term effects of bifrontal transcranial alternating current stimulation on verbal working memory and episodic memory in young healthy adults.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Modulation of prefrontal theta oscillations slows social cognition.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2026Article
- The effect of theta-gamma coupling on response to cognitive remediation combined with transcranial direct current stimulation in older adults at high risk for dementia: a PACt-MD secondary analysis.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Low intensity transcranial electric stimulation: Safety, ethical, legal regulatory and application guidelines (2017-2025: An update) - endorsed by the European Society for Brain Stimulation (ESBS) and by the International Federation for Clinical Neurophysiology (IFCN).Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026Review
- Therapeutic Improvement in People With Schizophrenia Undergoing tACS/CBTp (Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis) Associated With Usual Medication Regimen: Protocol for a Pilot, Randomized, Single-Blind Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Haemodynamic correlates of bilateral 6 Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation during working memory enhancement revealed by fNIRS.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Neuromodulation of Working Memory: Mechanisms, Targets, and Behavioral Outcomes.Neuroscience insights · 2026Review
- Chewing modulates theta oscillation and functional connectivity of the frontocentral cortex in attention and working memory.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Non-invasive brain stimulation: current and future applications in neurology.Nature reviews. Neurology · 2025Review
- Combining non-invasive brain stimulation techniques and EEG markers analysis: an innovative approach to cognitive health in aging.GeroScience · 2025Review
- Mapping EEG Metrics to Human Affective and Cognitive Models: An Interdisciplinary Scoping Review from a Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- State-dependent memory mechanisms insights from neural circuits and clinical implications.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2025Review
- Individualized frequency and montage tACS to engage theta-gamma coupling and enhance working memory in mild cognitive impairment.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Different frequencies of human scalp-recorded theta activity may index integration of activity in distinct recurrent cortico-subcortical mnemonic networks.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2025Review
- Exploring the n-back task: insights, applications, and future directions.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Review
- Theta transcranial alternating current stimulation over the prefrontal cortex enhances theta power and working memory performance.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
The escalating global burden of age-related neurodegenerative diseases and associated healthcare costs necessitates innovative interventions to stabilize or enhance cognitive functions. Deficits in working memory (WM) are linked to alterations in prefrontal theta-gamma cross-frequency coupling. Low-intensity transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has emerged as a non-invasive, low-cost approach capable of modulating ongoing oscillations in targeted brain areas through entrainment. This study investigates the impact of multi-session peak-coupled theta-gamma cross-frequency tACS administered to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on WM performance in older adults. In a randomized, sham-controlled, triple-blinded design, 77 participants underwent 16 stimulation sessions over six weeks while performing n-back tasks. Signal detection measures revealed increased 2-back sensitivity and robust modulations of response bias, indicating improved WM and decision-making adaptations, respectively. No effects were observed in the 1-back condition, emphasizing dependencies on cognitive load. Repeated tACS reinforces behavioral changes, indicated by increasing effect sizes. This study supports prior research correlating prefrontal theta-gamma coupling with WM processes and provides unique insights into the neurocognitive benefits of repeated tACS intervention. The well-tolerated and highly effective multi-session tACS intervention among the elderly underscores its therapeutic potential in vulnerable populations.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.