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Neurophysiology of the Ventral Attention Network: Modulating Vigilance Performance with tACS

Poster Session E - Monday, March 9, 2026, 2:30 – 4:30 pm PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Corrin Stines¹ (), Alyssa Randez², Linda Calderon¹, Edward Golob¹, Jeffrey Mock¹; ¹The University of Texas at San Antonio, ²Purdue University

Sustained attention relies on coordinated oscillatory activity within the right-hemisphere ventral attention network (VAN), comprising the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Prolonged vigilance tasks tax this system, leading to performance decline and cognitive fatigue. We hypothesize that theta-band synchronization (~5 Hz) within the VAN supports sustained attention and that transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) at this frequency would enhance performance metrics, particularly reaction speed, during an auditory spatial attention task. Experiment 1 used EEG to identify the dominant coherence frequency between TPJ and IFG during a 30-minute vigilance task. Coherence in the theta band decreased with time-on-task, suggesting fatigue-related desynchronization; the peak frequency was 5 Hz. Experiment 2 applies 5 Hz tACS targeting the VAN during a buzz–shuffle auditory localization task. Participants were randomly assigned to a sham group (N = 16) and a 5Hz tACS stimulation group (N = 17) and performed the same 38-minute auditory spatial attention task. Preliminary results showed a significant group difference in reaction time, with faster responses under stimulation (p < .001), but no significant difference in accuracy (p = .498). Data collection is ongoing to expand our sample and evaluate the robustness and magnitude of current effects. Together, these studies indicate that 5 Hz oscillations coordinate VAN activity during sustained attention and that external modulation at this frequency can enhance performance. These findings advance understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying vigilance and support the potential of theta-band tACS for mitigating fatigue-related impairments and performance declines.

Topic Area: ATTENTION: Auditory