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Measurement and Modulation of Working Memory-Related Oscillatory Abnormalities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 July 2019

Brian C. Kavanaugh Open the ORCID record for Brian C. Kavanaugh [Opens in a new window] ,
Alexa Fryc  and
Linda L. Carpenter
Brian C. Kavanaugh*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, E. P. Bradley Hospital, Riverside, RI 02915, USA Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA
Alexa Fryc
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI 02881, USA
Linda L. Carpenter
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI 02906, USA
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Brian C. Kavanaugh, E. P. Bradley Hospital/Alpert, Medical School of Brown University, 1011 Veterans Memorial Parkway, East Providence, RI 02915, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Despite the critical role of working memory (WM) in neuropsychiatric conditions, there remains a dearth of available WM-targeted interventions. Gamma and theta oscillations as measured with electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG) reflect the neural underpinnings of WM. The WM processes that fluctuate in conjunction with WM demands are closely correlated with WM test performance, and their EEG signatures are abnormal in several clinical populations. Novel interventions such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have been shown to modulate these oscillations and subsequently improve WM performance and clinical symptoms. Systematically identifying pathological WM-related gamma/theta oscillatory patterns with EEG/MEG and developing ways to target them with interventions such as TMS is an active area of clinical research. Results hold promise for enhancing the outcomes of our patients with WM deficits and for moving the field of clinical neuropsychology towards a mechanism-based approach.

Keywords

OscillationsWorking memoryEEGrTMSGammaTheta
Type
Short Review
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 25 , Issue 10 , November 2019 , pp. 1076 - 1081
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2019 

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