Professor Robert Chen
Editor-in-Chief, Clinical Neurophysiology
Milica Manojlovic, Jovana Bjekic, Danka Puric, Sasa R. Filipovic
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a relatively low-cost, non-invasive stimulation approach that can potentially be applied by subjects at home. High density tDCS uses small electrodes in a ring formation to provide more focal stimulation than traditional tDCS with large anode and cathode. Theta oscillations in the hippocampus and parieto-temporal cortices are associated with memory encoding and retrieval. In this volume of Clinical Neurophysiology, Manojlovic et al. applied a novel protocol with high density anodal tDCS modulated at 5 Hz (theta frequency), known as theta oscillatory-modulated tDCS, to the left posterior parietal cortex in 22 healthy subjects. Application of the stimuli during both the encoding and the retrieval phases improved associative memory performance compared to sham stimulation. The study introduces a promising neuromodulation approach that can be further studied in memory disorders.