Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation Alters Auditory Steady-State Oscillatory Rhythms and Their Cross-Frequency Couplings

Abstract

Auditory cortical plasticity deficits in schizophrenia are evidenced with electroencephalographic (EEG)-derived biomarkers, including the 40-Hz auditory steady-state response (ASSR). Aiming to understand the underlying oscillatory mechanisms contributing to the 40-Hz ASSR, we examined its response to transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) applied bilaterally to the temporal lobe of 23 healthy participants. Although not responding to gamma tACS, the 40-Hz ASSR was modulated by theta tACS (vs sham tACS), with reductions in gamma power and phase locking being accompanied by increases in theta-gamma phase–amplitude cross-frequency coupling. Results reveal that oscillatory changes induced by frequency-tuned tACS may be one approach for targeting and modulating auditory plasticity in normal and diseased brains.