Schedule of Events | Symposia

Effects of Alpha and Gamma Band EEG Oscillations Over Prefrontal Cortex on Creative Cognition Using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS)

Poster Session B - Sunday, March 30, 2025, 8:00 – 10:00 am EDT, Back Bay Ballroom/Republic Ballroom

Necla Ece Yilmaz¹ (neclaece@gmail.com), Sevinch Rakhmonova¹, Aaron Kucyi¹, John Kounios¹, Evangelia G. Chrysikou¹; ¹Drexel University

Literature on frontal alpha oscillations indicates that they are integral to creative cognition, supporting idea generation processes. This study examined the causal role of alpha band (10Hz) and gamma band (40Hz) neural oscillations for creative problem solving through transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). Twenty-five participants completed three counterbalanced sessions undergoing either 10Hz alpha, or 40Hz gamma, or sham stimulation over F3 and F4 electrode positions per the 10/20 EEG system, targeting frontal regions, bilaterally. Each session included pre-stimulation and post-stimulation EEG measures. During each session, participants performed a version of the Uncommon Uses Task (UUT), where they generated creative uses for 60 objects with different stimuli for each condition. Responses were scored for originality, appropriateness, and fluency with both human raters and AI (OSCAI). EEG data were analyzed for changes in alpha power. Originality scores on the UUT were significantly higher in the 10Hz alpha stimulation condition, whereas no effects were observed for the 40Hz gamma stimulation or sham conditions. Performance on a negative control arithmetic task remained unchanged across conditions, eliminating the possibility of general cognitive enhancement through stimulation. EEG analyses revealed changes in alpha power in frontal regions in the post-stimulation alpha band tACS condition compared to sham and pre-stimulation EEG, showing the influence of tACS on oscillatory dynamics. These findings demonstrate the direct facilitative impact of alpha band tACS on creative performance, supporting a causal relationship between alpha oscillations and ideation processes, as well as advancing our understanding of the neural dynamics underlying creativity.

Topic Area: THINKING: Problem solving