DOI: 10.5061/dryad.t76hdr8dm
title: Brief personalised rhythmic auditory stimulation facilitates cognitive and neural processing in ageing

description: There is growing interest in non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) as a
 safe and practical method to support cognitive function during ageing.
 NIBS using rhythmic sensory stimuli entrains brain oscillations and
 synchronises functional networks, but the choice of NIBS frequency to
 enhance performance in cognitive tasks remains unclear. We adopt a network
 neuroscience approach to NIBS, linking network connectivity, EEG
 oscillatory frequencies, and behavioural performance, to test the effects
 of personalised rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on an inhibitory
 control task (Simon task) in older adults aged 60–75 years. Simon task
 trials were preceded by ≈1.7–3.2 s of personalised RAS (clicks) at each
 individual’s theta oscillation frequency (fθ), a slightly faster variant
 (fθ+), a fixed low-frequency control at 2 Hz (f2Hz), or a non-rhythmic
 control (NR). Reaction times (RTs) after personalised stimulation were
 faster than f2Hz and NR, with stronger brain entrainment to rhythmic
 stimulation linked to faster RTs. Task-related EEG signals showed enhanced
 attentional processes and more efficient cortical responses following the
 personalised stimulation. Individuals with lower baseline performance had
 the greatest benefits. The findings suggest personalised RAS enhances
 cognitive performance in ageing and provides a cost-effective
 neurorehabilitation approach to mitigate age-related cognitive decline.
description: # Brief personalised rhythmic auditory stimulation facilitates cognitive
 and neural processing in ageing Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.t76hdr8dm](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.t76hdr8dm) ##
 Description of the data and file structure The data were collected as part
 of a study investigating the effects of personalised non-invasive brain
 stimulation (NIBS) using rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) on cognitive
 performance in ageing. Forty-four participants aged 60–75 completed an
 inhibitory control task (Simon task) while EEG activity was recorded. Each
 participant was exposed to rhythmic auditory stimulation at individualized
 theta frequencies and control conditions. Behavioural measures, including
 reaction time and accuracy, were derived from the Simon task. EEG data
 were analysed to obtain the amplitude of the N2 component, entrainment,
 and induced theta power. All measures were computed across the different
 conditions of rhythmic auditory stimulation, which are abbreviated in the
 accompanying database file as follows: doshz: 2 Hz stimulation, fθ:
 individual theta stimulation, fθ+: fθ∗1.33, and nr: non-rhythmic
 stimulation. ### Files and variables #### File: Raw_data_base.zip
 **Description:** Raw EEG recordings collected during the baseline
 condition, in which no auditory stimulation was presented (.bdf format)
 #### File: Raw_data_stim.zip **Description:** Raw EEG recordings from the
 stimulation conditions, where participants were exposed to rhythmic
 auditory stimulation at 2 Hz, f~θ~, and f~θ⁺~ frequencies, along with a
 non-rhythmic control condition (.bdf format). #### File:
 Baseline_scripts.zip **Description:** MATLAB scripts associated with the
 baseline condition, covering preprocessing, epoching, and wavelet-based
 analyses. #### File: Stimulation_scripts.zip **Description:** MATLAB
 scripts associated with the rhythmic stimulation conditions, covering
 preprocessing, epoching, and wavelet-based analyses. #### File:
 Induced_power_scripts.zip **Description:** MATLAB scripts provided to
 compute induced power for EEG data recorded during the Simon task. ####
 File: ERP_scripts.zip **Description:** MATLAB scripts for computing
 event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically targeting analysis of the N2
 component. #### File: Power_Entrainment_script.zip **Description:** MATLAB
 scripts to compute power entrainment #### File:
 Cxy_Plv_Entrainment_scripts.zip **Description:** MATLAB scripts to compute
 spectral coherence (Cxy) and phase-locking value (PLV) as measures of
 neural entrainment. #### File: Dataset.xlsx **Description:** All data
 collected for the study, with variable names and descriptions provided in
 the file. ## Code/software The data can be viewed and processed using
 MATLAB and the open-source EEGLAB toolbox. EEGLAB provides graphical and
 scripting interfaces for importing, visualizing, and analyzing EEG data in
 `.bdf` format. The files contain MATLAB scripts used for the study’s main
 analyses, including induced power, event-related potentials (ERPs), and
 neural entrainment. Dedicated scripts for data preprocessing are also
 provided to ensure full reproducibility of the analysis pipeline. Each
 script is thoroughly commented to enhance understanding. ## Human subjects
 data All participants provided informed consent for the publication of
 de-identified data. To ensure anonymity, we removed all direct and
 indirect identifiers, such as names, contact information, and any details
 that could lead to re-identification.