# The role of prestimulus oscillatory brain dynamics in auditory memory

> **NIH NIH P20** · KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $106,099

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY: WISNIEWSKI PROJECT 
Ongoing brain dynamics impact memory for events as they occur. This is evident in nonhuman and human 
neuroelectromagnetic recordings (e.g., electroencephalography - EEG) where prestimulus oscillatory brain 
states have been shown to determine neural plasticity and predict later memory retrieval. However, a reliance 
on correlational data, restrictive memory paradigms, outdated analysis techniques, and a bias to use visual 
and/or language stimuli has left open questions in the state of knowledge. It is still not clear whether 
prestimulus brain states causally impact memory, whether their impacts are related to the cortical source of 
oscillatory activity, and whether effects only apply to a subset of tasks. This makes it difficult to develop 
approaches that use prestimulus brain dynamics with health-relevant goals (e.g., systems that induce brain 
dynamics that can facilitate memory). The proposed research employs innovative methodological approaches 
to examine the central hypothesis that oscillatory prestimulus brain dynamics impact memory for sound. The 
data produced will fill gaps in the state of knowledge and identify directions that can be taken to exploit 
prestimulus brain dynamics to produce positive health outcomes. Aim 1 will determine how prestimulus 
oscillatory EEG dynamics relate to auditory memory performance. High-density (104 channel) EEG will be 
recorded while subjects encode sounds in memory tasks with the capability of assessing memory accuracy 
and precision. Analyses will reveal the prestimulus EEG oscillatory dynamics that are predictive of these 
memory performance metrics. Source modeling will reveal the cortical areas responsible for these effects and 
allow a characterization of how interactions among different sources influence memory. Aim 2 will modulate 
prestimulus brain dynamics and measure resulting impacts on memory. Both a sensory entrainment and 
repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) protocol will be used to induce oscillatory brain states in 
subjects. Because brain states will be purposefully manipulated, this will provide a causal viewpoint on 
prestimulus oscillatory activity regarding memory performance. This project stands to produce theoretical 
insights on the functional roles of oscillatory brain activity in memory processes. For instance, it is directly 
relevant to theory on alpha (~8-13 Hz) oscillations which proposes that the phase and power of ongoing alpha 
should gate the processing of incoming events. Methods that allow causal inference will inform the ongoing 
debate in neuroscience as to whether oscillations play a functional role in processing or are merely 
epiphenomenal. Through its use of multiple methods (EEG, sensory entrainment, rTMS), the project also 
stands to identify the most useful directions to take in the development of rehabilitative/assistive devices. The 
project will link with all three of CNAP Phase 2 crosscutting th...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10888182
- **Project number:** 5P20GM113109-08
- **Recipient organization:** KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew G. Wisniewski
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $106,099
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-15 → 2024-10-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10888182

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10888182, The role of prestimulus oscillatory brain dynamics in auditory memory (5P20GM113109-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10888182. Licensed CC0.

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