Schedule of Events | Search Abstracts | Invited Symposia | Symposia | Poster Sessions | Data Blitz

Examining the neural dynamics of semantic memory integration using noninvasive brain stimulation with concurrent EEG

Poster Session F - Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Sol Seales¹ (), Alexa Gorman², Alexandra E. Kelly¹, Ke Ding³, Yoed N. Kenett³, Evangelia G. Chrysikou¹; ¹Drexel University, ²University of California Davis, ³Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

Previous studies have shown that the left Angular Gyrus (AG) plays a significant role in semantic integration, modulating the processing time of meaningful vs. nonmeaningful two-word pairs. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate how stimulation of the left AG causally contributes to semantic restructuring dynamics and connect them to the N400, a neural marker for these dynamics. While undergoing EEG recording using 32 active electrodes, participants performed a relatedness judgment task (RJT) for pairwise combinations of 20 concepts. Concepts spanned from common categories including animals, food, and home/kitchen items. Participants also completed a conceptual combination task in which they evaluated the meaningfulness of ambiguous noun-noun combinations. Stimuli included four of the five concepts from each category used in the RJT as modifier nouns as well as novel concepts. During the conceptual combination task, participants received tDCS using high-definition montage with the active electrodes CP5, C3, T7, P7, and P3. Each participant received anodal, cathodal, and sham stimulation during separate experimental sessions. Participant-specific semantic memory networks were estimated using a 20x20 matrix of each pairwise RJT rating from both pre and post stimulation. ERP analyses focused on the N400 potential and revealed differential effects of stimulation type (anodal vs. cathodal), with a negative effect following cathodal stimulation. These results can be tentatively interpreted as a reflection of less efficient semantic integration during cathodal stimulation of the left AG implicating it in this process.

Topic Area: LONG-TERM MEMORY: Semantic