Comparing Vibrotactile Stimulation to Combined Visual and Auditory Stimulation for 40 Hz Gamma Entrainment

Abstract

There is significant interest in combined visual and auditory stimulation to entrain 40 Hz gamma oscillations for the treatment of Alzheimers disease and other neurological conditions such as stroke and insomnia. In this work, we compared another sensory modality--vibrotactile stimulation delivered with a glove--to visual and auditory stimulation in 15 healthy participants in terms of electroencephalogram (EEG) responses and subjective experience. We found that vibrotactile stimulation from the glove could evoke 40 Hz EEG responses in the central, frontal and, to a lesser extent, occipital cortices. We also observed distinct patterns of functional connectivity between the two stimulation modalities. Participants preferred the vibrotactile stimulation over the visual and auditory stimulation. Our study supports future investigations on vibrotactile stimulation for the treatment of neurological conditions.