TMS in working memory research

This chapter provides a broad overview of research focused on the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), both alone and together with neural recording modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), to elucidate the cognitive and neural underpinnings of working memory. It first considers research using TMS to create “virtual lesions” in targeted brain areas, with the goal of establishing the causal role, and sometimes the timing, of the targeted area in specific working memory component processes. Next, it highlights research adopting a “perturb-and-measure” approach, in which TMS is used in conjunction with simultaneous neural recording (e.g., functional MRI or EEG) to assess the role of brain excitability and inter-area connectivity in working memory. Finally, research using TMS to assess the role of neural oscillations in working memory is reviewed. Throughout, the chapter highlights how different TMS modalities can be used profitably to clarify the neural bases of working memory and to effect strong tests of predictions derived from psychological models.