Transcranial electrical stimulation during sleep enhances declarative (but not procedural) memory consolidation: Evidence from a meta-analysis
Abstract
This meta-analysis summarizes research examining whether transcranial electrical stimulation (transcranial direct current stimulation with oscillating and constant currents; transcranial alternating current stimulation), administered during sleep, can modulate declarative and procedural memory consolidation. Included in the meta-analysis were 13 experiments that represented data from 179 participants. Study findings were summarized using standardized mean difference (SMD) which is an effect size that summarizes differences in standard deviation units. Results showed electrical stimulation during sleep could enhance (SMD=0.447; p=.003) or disrupt (SMD=-0.476, p=.030) declarative memory consolidation. However, transcranial electric stimulation does not appear to be able to enhance (SMD=0.154, p=.279) or disrupt (SMD=0.076, p=.675) procedural memory consolidation. This meta-analysis provides strong evidence that TES is able to modulate some consolidation processes. Additional research is required to determine the mechanisms by which transcranial electrical stimulation is able to influence declarative memory consolidation. Finally, it is yet to be determined whether transcranial electrical stimulation can modulate procedural memory consolidation.
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Sleep-dependent memory benefits may vary as a result of transcranial electric stimulation.
“However, sleep-dependent memory benefits are reduced in older adults [19,20] and may vary for procedural versus declarative memory in children [22], and as a result of transcranial electric stimulation [12] or closed-loop stimulation [16].”
From Sleep and memory consolidation in healthy, neurotypical children, and adults: a summary of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. (2023) · cites this paper as [12]
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- Authors
- Barham, M. P., Enticott, P. G., Conduit, R., & Lum, J. A. G.
- Affiliations
- Deakin University (AU)
- RMIT University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Lum, Jarrad A.G.
- Venue
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-04
- Volume
- 63
- Pages
- 65-77
- ISSN
- 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2289293589
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 4
- FWCI
- 0.70
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RMIT Research Repository (RMIT University Library) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Keywords
- transcranial electrical stimulation, sleep, memory consolidation, declarative memory, procedural memory, transcranial direct current stimulation, transcranial alternating current stimulation, non-invasive brain stimulation
- MeSH terms
- Memory Consolidation, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Brain, Child, Female, Humans, Male, Memory, Middle Aged, Sleep, Reproducibility of Results, Young Adult, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
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