Year

2026

Season

Spring

Paper Type

Master's Thesis

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Degree Name

Master of Science in Psychological Science (MSPS)

Department

Psychological and Brain Sciences

NACO controlled Corporate Body

University of North Florida. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Committee Chairperson

Dr. Nicole Nissim

Second Advisor

Dr. Angie LeRoy

Rights Statement

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Third Advisor

Dr. Lisa Byrge

Department Chair

Dr. Lori Lange

College Dean

Kaveri Subrahmanyam

Abstract

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is an emerging form of noninvasive brain stimulation with substantial effects on behavior and brain function due to its ability to entrain endogenous neural oscillations. Working memory is a cognitive process that involves holding onto information that is no longer present in the environment and manipulating or reorganizing information for immediate use. Theta oscillations are critical for the functionality of the frontoparietal network and are involved in strengthening communication and coordination between frontal and parietal brain regions, especially during working memory processing. TACS applied at the theta frequency, targets theta oscillations, strengthens network communications, and enhances working memory performance over the targeted brain region. The current study analyzes previously collected open-source data (Pavlov et al., 2024; OpenNeuro.org) to further examine the impact of theta tACS on working memory behavior and neurophysiology in healthy adults. Analyses assess whether active versus sham stimulation alters neural mechanisms that underlie working memory processing. While the original research group did not identify any significant behavioral or EEG results, they did not explore coupling between theta and gamma oscillations. Theta-gamma phase amplitude coupling (PAC) is a critical mechanism underlying successful working memory processing where the slower theta oscillation modulates the faster gamma oscillation. Theta-gamma PAC has been associated with successful working memory performance, including the organizing and processing of stimuli. The current study examines theta-gamma PAC within this data set. The main hypothesis is that there will be significant increased theta-gamma PAC that associates with active tACS over sham during working memory performance.    

Download

Share

COinS
 

Accessibility Statement

This item was created or digitized before April 24, 2027, or is a reproduction of legacy material created before that date. It is preserved in its original, unmodified state specifically for research, reference, or historical recordkeeping. In accordance with the ADA Title II Final Rule, the Library provides accessible versions of archival materials by request. If you are experiencing difficulty accessing the information on the site due to a disability, please submit a request through the following form for assistance.