Investigating the causal role of brain rhythms for cognitive flexibility in the ageing brain
Project summary: Working memory, our ability to hold information briefly in mind, depends on the interplay of a distributed network of brain areas. How these different brain areas communicate for successful memory is still under debate. One proposal is that they synchronize especially when information in working memory needs to be updated, re-evaluated, or transferred so it can control behaviour.
Working memory declines drastically as we age. The reason for this is still unclear. One proposal we will investigate here is whether reduced synchrony between brain areas in ageing may play a role.
This 10-week project will begin to examine this question by testing the causal role of brain rhythms in the controlled access of working memory contents. Recent research has found that neural synchronization in particular frequencies (delta and theta bands from ~2-6Hz) predicts both successful updating of working memory contents, successful representation of those contents at a neural level, and successful behaviour. In this project you will examine whether interrupting or inducing these rhythms through transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can similarly affect our ability to update our working memory by causally affecting brain rhythms (measured with electroencephalography, EEG). You will pilot a new working memory updating task and learn to use neurostimulation and neural recording techniques in humans.
Weeks 1-2: Piloting the new working memory task, training in tACS and EEG, literature review
Weeks 3-8: Data acquisition, further training in tACS, EEG preprocessing ana analysis, and behavioural analysis
Weeks 9-10: Final analysis of data, begin write-up of findings
Training: The candidate will be fully embedded in the labs of the two PIs on this project. They will receive hands-on training from the PIs and PhD students in state-of-the-art techniques for the manipulation and analysis of brain rhythms. This will include learning about signal processing, time-frequency analysis, and pattern analysis, and how to interpret these signals statistically. They will also learn how to use sophisticated cognitive phenotyping to assess the impact of the causal manipulation on behaviour. They will also take part in lab meetings and journal clubs that will give them opportunities to present their project and findings, to discuss the current state of the literature, and hear about other research projects.