Topic
Neural oscillations research, explained
12 open-access neural oscillations studies, each with a flashcard deck and a quiz.
- Boosting short-term memory by slowing down brain waves
Slowing down a person's individual theta brain wave frequency using electrical stimulation temporarily increases how much information they can hold in their short-term memory.
- Does your brain state before a pain stimulus change how it feels?
Weaker alpha and gamma brain rhythms just before a painful laser pulse predicted that it would feel more intense, and the two rhythms carried separate, additive information.
- Can timing brain stimulation suppress Parkinson's beta waves?
Timing electrical pulses to match specific points of a patient's abnormal brain waves can successfully dampen those waves.
- How does mindfulness meditation quiet the neural sense of self?
By directing their attention, experienced meditators can turn down distinct brain networks that produce our everyday sense of identity and immediate physical experience.
- How do alpha brain waves help us hear speech in noisy rooms?
Paying attention to speech in noise triggers alpha brain wave suppression in the auditory cortex, which directly predicts how well a listener understands the words.
- Do different brain rhythms handle seeing versus linking a memory?
Drops in cortical alpha/beta rhythms predicted later memory while people were taking in information, whereas hippocampal theta-gamma coupling predicted memory only when they were binding the pieces together.
- Does ketamine model brain activity changes in schizophrenia?
Although S-ketamine mimics schizophrenia symptoms, it triggers the opposite effects on brain wave intensity and connectivity compared to patients.
- Can brain stimulation reduce anxiety long-term?
Repetitive rhythmic electrical stimulation of the brain's visual areas reduces anxiety and strengthens long-distance brain networks over several days.
- Connecting the brain's mu rhythm to multiple neural networks
The brain's sensorimotor mu rhythm is linked to several different neural networks, showing it is not just a simple indicator of movement control.
- What can closed-loop brain stimulation do?
A PRISMA review of 76 studies maps DBS, TMS, tDCS, tACS, and optogenetics closed-loop BCIs aimed at restoring neurological function.
- How Brain Stimulation Affects Risky Choices
Applying 20-Hz electrical stimulation to the left prefrontal cortex increases a person's willingness to make risky financial decisions.
- Can a 120 bpm beat change how unstable ankles land?
In 20 men with functional ankle instability, adapting to auditory rhythms—especially 120 bpm—shifted drop-landing torques toward a more proximal (hip/knee) strategy versus no-beat, 60, or 180 bpm.