Faculty Collaboration Database

Modulating Phonological Short-Term Memory in Stroke Survivors With Aphasia Using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2026 Feb;40(2):127-138

Date

12/17/2025

Pubmed ID

41404758

Pubmed Central ID

PMC12714305

DOI

10.1177/15459683251395694

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-105024894298 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)

Abstract

BackgroundShort-term maintenance of phonological information is critical for language production and comprehension, and is often impaired in stroke survivors with aphasia.ObjectiveIn this pilot study, we investigated whether brain oscillatory activity underlying phonological short-term memory (pSTM) can be influenced by transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) in stroke survivors with aphasia (SWA).MethodsIn a within-subject, single-blinded, sham-controlled study, 13 SWA received theta-tACS (4-7 Hz) targeting left temporoparietal and inferior frontal regions across 3 tACS conditions (in-phase, anti-phase, and sham; 20 minutes each). Participants completed an adaptive delayed match-to-sample task with spoken consonant-vowel strings (2-8 syllables) before, during, and after stimulation. The primary outcome was change in pSTM capacity (ie, number of syllables maintained over a 5-second delay), estimated using a linear interpolation approach. We hypothesized that in-phase tACS would enhance, and anti-phase tACS would disrupt, pSTM capacity relative to sham.ResultsLME analyses reveal significant interactions between tACS condition and block (F(4, 91.9) = 2.65, P = .038), and post-hoc estimated marginal means comparisons show increased pSTM capacity during in-phase tACS versus sham (estimate = 0.71, t(92) = 2.26, P = .040) and anti-phase (estimate = 0.75, t(92) = 2.44, P = .040) conditions, only during the stimulation period. Differences between anti-phase and sham-tACS were not significant (estimate = -0.04, P = .901). Individual response to tACS was variable, with only 60% of SWA responding.ConclusionsThis study supports in-phase theta-tACS positively impacts pSTM. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and evaluate lasting effects to increase clinical relevance.

Author List

Erickson KN, Pillay SB, Binder JR, Shah-Basak PP

Authors

Jeffrey R. Binder MD Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Sara B. Pillay PhD Associate Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Priyanka P. Shah PhD Associate Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Aphasia
Female
Humans
Male
Memory, Short-Term
Middle Aged
Pilot Projects
Single-Blind Method
Stroke
Stroke Rehabilitation
Survivors
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation