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Electromagnetic field stimulation modulates working memory and cortical alpha oscillations in healthy adults
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  • Published: 26 February 2026

Electromagnetic field stimulation modulates working memory and cortical alpha oscillations in healthy adults

  • Kate S. Branigan1,2,
  • Kevin S. Saroka1,
  • Paula L. Corradini1,
  • Michel A. Larivière3 &
  • …
  • Blake T. Dotta1,2 

Scientific Reports , Article number:  (2026) Cite this article

We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply.

Subjects

  • Cognitive neuroscience
  • Learning and memory
  • Neuroscience

Abstract

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) have been shown to modulate neural activity, yet their specific effects on memory, particularly the distinction between working memory and short-term recall, remain unresolved. This study examined whether patterned EMF exposure influences these domains, using the WAIS-IV Digit Span Forward (DSF) and Digit Span Backward (DSB) subtests. Ninety-eight healthy volunteers were randomly assigned, in a between-subjects design, to one of four conditions: Theta-Burst (five-pulse bursts at 100 Hz), Theta-Gamma (mimicking theta–gamma coupling in hippocampal networks), 40 Hz gamma stimulation, or sham stimulation. Fields were applied for 30 min in one of three spatial configurations: unilaterally over the left hemisphere, unilaterally over the right hemisphere, or bilaterally over the temporal lobes. Theta-Burst EMF reduced working memory performance on the DSB task and was accompanied by increased high-alpha (10–12 Hz) activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus and a whole-brain effect centered on the right superior frontal gyrus. In contrast, Theta-Gamma EMF reduced DSF performance without detectable EEG changes. These findings indicate that EMF effects on memory are frequency- and pattern-specific, selectively altering behavior and, in some cases, underlying neural activity. Optimizing stimulation parameters may allow such fields to be harnessed for cognitive enhancement or targeted neuromodulation.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are not openly available due to reasons of sensitivity and are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioural Neuroscience Programs, Schools of Natural Science and Kinesiology & Health Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, P3E2C6, Canada

    Kate S. Branigan, Kevin S. Saroka, Paula L. Corradini & Blake T. Dotta

  2. Biology Programs, Schools of Natural Science and Kinesiology & Health Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, P3E2C6, Canada

    Kate S. Branigan & Blake T. Dotta

  3. Human Kinetics Programs, Schools of Natural Science and Kinesiology & Health Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, P3E2C6, Canada

    Michel A. Larivière

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Contributions

BTD & KSB wrote and edited the manuscript; KSS, KSB, & PLC curated and processed the dataset; KSB & KSS performed experiments; BTD and ML supervised; BTD & ML provided resources; KSB & BTD performed analyses; all authors reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Blake T. Dotta.

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Branigan, K.S., Saroka, K.S., Corradini, P.L. et al. Electromagnetic field stimulation modulates working memory and cortical alpha oscillations in healthy adults. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-42063-4

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  • Received: 03 March 2025

  • Accepted: 24 February 2026

  • Published: 26 February 2026

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-42063-4

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Keywords

  • electromagnetic fields (EMF)
  • electroencephalography (EEG)
  • WAIS-IV
  • working memory
  • neural modulation
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