Restructuring the Alpha-Gamma Code in Aging Vision

The project probes a causal account of age-related perceptual decline by focusing on alpha-gamma phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) in early visual cortex and area MT. The central hypothesis is that aging alters both the magnitude and phase structure of alpha-gamma interactions, degrading visual performance; restoring a preferred configuration-gamma power nested at alpha troughs-should improve perception.

Multimodal methods combine structural/functional MRI, high-density EEG with source reconstruction, and individualized complex-waveform HD-tACS tuned to each participant's neuroanatomy and oscillatory frequencies. Three questions drive the work: (i) Do age-related deficits track changes in alpha-gamma PAC magnitude/phase? (ii) Can frequency-coupled HD-tACS enforce the preferred PAC configuration and enhance perception, especially in more impaired older adults? (iii) Is perception bidirectionally controllable by placing gamma at alpha troughs (facilitation) versus peaks (disruption)?

Two specific aims implement matched, five-day, within-subjects, double-blind, sham-controlled experiments with 120 participants each. Aim 1 targets early visual cortex to test whether contrast sensitivity deficits scale with age, spatial frequency, and noise, and whether personalized HD-tACS can optimize PAC to improve contrast perception. Aim 2 targets MT to test whether 3D shape-from-motion (parallax) judgments decline with age as a function of surface-point lifetime and simulated depth, and whether trough- versus peak-aligned stimulation can restructure PAC to enhance motion-based shape perception. Outcomes will establish mechanistic links between PAC and visual aging and evaluate a noninvasive, personalized intervention path relevant to age-related decline and ADRD.

Inclusion criteria

• 18+ years of age or older
• normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity, color vision, and stereo vision

Exclusion criteria

• not pregnant,
• no metal implants in head,
• no implanted electronic devices,
• no history of neurological problems or head injury,
• no skin sensitivity,
• no claustrophobia,
• no dementia (normal Mini Mental State Examination between 24-30; Montreal Cognitive Assessment > 25)
• no depression (normal Beck Depression Inventory II <13; Geriatric Depression Scale < 10)
• no ophthalmological diseases (e.g., strabismus, glaucoma, cataract, macular degeneration)
• no history of psychosis
• no cognitive deficits (MMSE score>24; MoCA>25)
• cannot be taking any psychoactive medication.