Enhancing working memories using repetitive TMS

Rhythmic rTMS at 10 Hz over the left intraparietal sulcus during the second half of a color working-memory delay increases memory precision in 24 participants.

• Why it matters: Alpha oscillations both gate irrelevant information and track maintained content, but whether they causally support the fidelity of working-memory representations during maintenance was untested.
• What they did: Twenty-four participants received short rTMS trains at theta (6 Hz), alpha (10 Hz), or an arrhythmic control during the second half of the delay, targeting the left posterior inferior frontal sulcus or the left intraparietal sulcus. A mixture model separated memory precision from swap errors and guesses.
• The result: Alpha stimulation of the intraparietal sulcus specifically increased memory precision, while rhythmic stimulation at either site reduced response error, guesses, and swaps irrespective of frequency, enabling causal enhancement of working memory fidelity.