"Exploring the effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Working Memory"
Category: Research Poster
Author(s): Jolie Fasullo
Presenter(s): Jolie Fasullo
Mentors(s): Michael Thomas, Sierra Swenson
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that produces a magnetic field which penetrates the scalp to depolarize neuronal membranes and trigger action potentials. Theta burst stimulation (TBS) is a specialized TMS protocol that produces rapid pulses, mimicking natural neural patterns. TBS is believed to affect cognitive processing through excitation (intermittent TBS) and suppression of neural activity (continuous TBS). The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of TBS protocols on cognitive task performance. Using a single-blind design, we investigated the impact of TBS on task performance by stimulating the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). Healthy adults aged 18-65 who were right-handed and fluent in English were recruited via an online prescreening survey. Eligible participants provided health and demographic information, completed a the Sternberg task prior to and following a single offline TBS session with neuronavigation determined the target location of the dlPFC. The participants were randomly assigned to stimulation condition and task administration order. We hypothesize that participants receiving iTBS will show improved task performance following stimulation compared to participants receiving cTBS. Our analysis will consist of a 2x2 t-test to determine the effects of stimulation condition (i.e., iTBS and cTBS) on pre- and post-stimulation cognitive performance outcomes. Our findings may provide evidence for utilization of iTBS intervention for cognitive impairment.