Schedule of Events | Symposia

Effects of Theta-Band Amplitude Modulation on Sustained Attention

Poster Session F - Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Corinna Parrish¹, Arun Asthagiri¹, Psyche Loui¹; ¹Northeastern University

Theta-band activity is linked to attentional sampling as well as to working memory. We investigate whether theta-band acoustic amplitude modulation, tailored to the beat of naturalistic music, can entrain neural oscillations and enhance cognitive performance. Additionally, we test whether individuals with ADHD symptoms (assessed with ADHD self-report scale, ASRS) are differently impacted by amplitude modulation. We added theta-band amplitude modulation to 32 popular songs and used the amplitude-modulated and unmodulated tracks as background music during the sustained attention to response task (SART) in young adults across three studies. Study 1: Results from an online sample of n=258 reveal differences between participants with and without symptoms of ADHD (ASRS+ and ASRS- groups): coefficients of variation for reaction time decreased over songs for the ASRS positive group only when listening to modulated music. Study 2: EEG (n=21) shows increased phase-locking in theta-band (4-8Hz) in the amplitude-modulated condition that differed between ASRS+ and ASRS- groups. Study 3: fMRI (n=40) highlights differences in brain activation between modulated and unmodulated music in the right anterior cingulate/supplementary motor area, right caudate, and left frontal pole areas, particularly in the ASRS+ group, suggesting that effects of amplitude modulation are related to working memory, executive function, and motor planning. Together, findings suggest that amplitude modulation in music can be used to target neural dynamics involved in attention, supporting cognitive function especially in individuals with attentional difficulties.

Topic Area: PERCEPTION & ACTION: Audition