Enhancing Speech Intelligibility Using Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS)

This study contributes to fundamental research investigating the role of the articulatory-motor integration and cerebro-acoustic coherence in speech comprehension. In a series of experiments non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques including transcranial electric stimulation with alternating current waveforms (tACS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) will be applied to the left ventral motor cortex (vMC) to test the contribution of this area to speech comprehension under challenging listening situations. As long as the exclusion criteria for TMS and tACS are strictly considered, only very minimal risks and no long-term effects are expected. There are no known risks associated with NIBS and pregnancy; however, since risks cannot be completely excluded, pregnant women will be excluded from participation. If a female participant is uncertain whether she is pregnant, she will be provided with a pregnancy test at no cost.