The Japanese journal of neuropsychology

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ArticleTitle	Enhancing working memory using transcranial magnetic stimulation
Language	J
AuthorList	Masaru Mimura
Affiliation	Department of Neuropsychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine
Publication	Japanese Journal of Neuropsychology: 26 (2), 151-157, 2010
Received
Accepted
Abstract	Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) successfully produces a "virtual lesion", thereby providing an experimental neuropsychological model. rTMS has contributed to elucidate neural systems or connecting networks of various cognitive functions. Another stream of studies have attempted to enhance cognitive functions of healthy persons or improve cognitive dysfunctions of patients by using rTMS. Here, we introduced our recent study in which we demonstrated that 5 Hz rTMS to the right parietal cortex improves the performance of healthy young persons in a spatial working memory task. Application of rTMS to the right parietal cortex also significantly increased frontal oxy-Hb levels during the working memory task as measured with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), but reduced oxy-Hb during the control visual attention task. These results suggest that rTMS to the right parietal cortex may selectively facilitate spatial working memory. Hemispheric asymmetry and the frontoparietal network theory may explain the observed effect of right parietal rTMS on working memory.
Keywords	working memory, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), frontoparietal network, functional facilitation