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Investigating the effects of Alpha and Gamma band EEG oscillations over parietal cortex on creative cognition using tACS

Poster Session A - Saturday, March 7, 2026, 3:00 – 5:00 pm PST, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballrooms

Gian Nouel¹ (nouelgian@gmail.com), Necla Ece Yilmaz¹, Evangelia G. Chrysikou¹; ¹Drexel University

Alpha-band and gamma-band synchronization have been shown to be linked to the generation and evaluation of creative ideas, respectively. 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), a technique that delivers electrical currents to the scalp non-invasively. Prior work from our lab has shown that 10hz alpha-band tACS stimulation over frontal regions, specifically F3 and F4, leads to increased originality scores on a creativity task. Building on these findings, in this study participants completed three counterbalanced sessions undergoing either 10Hz alpha, or 40Hz gamma, or sham stimulation over P3 and P4 electrode positions per the 10/20 EEG system, targeting parietal 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). Performance on the UUT showed improvements under the 40Hz alpha stimulation condition, whereas no effects were observed for the 10Hz gamma stimulation or sham conditions. Performance on a negative control arithmetic task remained unchanged across conditions. The results provide deeper insight into the role of gamma oscillations for creative cognition, as well as shed light on neural network dynamics in support of creative thinking.

Topic Area: THINKING: Problem solving