Excitability changes induced in the human auditory cortex by transcranial alternating current stimulation

Yao Wang; Yue Zhang; Peiyun Hou; Gaoyuan Dong; Limeng Shi; Weiming Li; Ran Wei; Xiaojie Li

doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136960

Excitability changes induced in the human auditory cortex by transcranial alternating current stimulation

Neurosci Lett. 2023 Jan 1:792:136960. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136960. Epub 2022 Nov 10.

Authors

Yao Wang¹, Yue Zhang², Peiyun Hou², Gaoyuan Dong³, Limeng Shi², Weiming Li², Ran Wei², Xiaojie Li⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China; School of Precision Instruments and Optoelectronics Engineering Tianjin University, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China.
² Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China.
³ School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, China. Electronic address: lixiaojie@tiangong.edu.cn.

PMID: 36372094
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136960

Abstract

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has been widely studied for its ability to regulate motor, perceptual, and cognitive functions. Given the unique frequency specificity of tACS, it is expected to directly target rhythmic activity in the typical electroencephalogram (EEG) range. After tACS stimulation, changes in stimulation-induced and evoked activities can be inspected. Detecting changes in auditory evoked activity after different frequencies of tACS stimulation will be helpful for further revealing the influence of tACS on the excitation/inhibition of γ activity in the auditory cortex. Using a randomized repeated measures design, this study assessed the effects of alpha(α)-tACS and gamma(γ)-tACS on the auditory steady-state response (ASSR) in 11 normal-hearing participants. Participants attended four sessions held at least one week apart, receiving tACS or sham treatment. The results indicated that α-tACS had an inhibitory effect on 40-Hz ASSR compared to both γ-tACS and sham tACS, which occurred 30 min after stimulation. Taken together, these findings contribute to the understanding of tACS-induced excitability changes in the human auditory cortex, helping reveal the neurophysiological changes after tACS.

Keywords: Auditory cortex; Auditory steady-state response; Neuromodulation; Transcranial alternating current stimulation.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Auditory Cortex* / physiology
Electroencephalography
Humans
Motor Cortex* / physiology
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation* / methods