Jovana Bjekić

Institut za medicinska istraživanja, Univerzitet u Beogradu

Memory is a fundamental cognitive function essential for everyday life, yet unfortunately it is highly vulnerable to age-related decline, pathological conditions, and neurodegenerative diseases. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS), particularly transcranial electrical stimulation (tES), has emerged as a promising approach for memory neuromodulation. However, the efficacy of tES has been limited by a lack of precision and personalization. In this lecture, I will present a series of empirical studies on memory neuromodulation using tES, grounded in a conceptual understanding of associative memory as a cognitive function and its neural underpinnings. The first set of studies focuses on increasing spatial precision by targeting the posterior parietal cortex as a key node in the cortico-hippocampal memory network. The second line of research follows the so-called “theta-hypothesis,” exploring the effectiveness of neurophysiology-inspired, function-specific tES protocols. Furthermore, I will demonstrate how neurophysiological signatures induced by associative memory tasks can serve as personalization parameters for tES and introduce novel oscillatory tES protocols. Finally, I will address key challenges in the field, including inter-individual variability in responses, the need for more precise behavioral assessments, and the translational potential of tES for mitigating memory deficits—considering safety and regulatory aspects.

Jovana Bjekić is a senior research associate at Human Neuroscience Group, Institute for Medical Research, University of Belgrade. With a background in psychology (BA, 2011; MSc, 2012; PhD, 2016, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade), she has pursued a distinctive research path in cognitive neuroscience, focusing on human memory, its structural and functional neural signatures, and the development of memory-targeted neuromodulation approaches. Her publishing record includes over 40 papers in WoS-indexed journals, cited more than 1,100 times (H-index: 18, i10-index: 30), as well as a nationally recognized monograph and over 90 presentations at major international conferences. She has been recognized for scientific excellence by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development, and Innovation as one of the top 10% performing scientists in her category. She was the principal investigator of the MEMORYST project, funded through the first competitive call of the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia (PROMIS), where she led a team of early-stage researchers in developing the first personalized protocol for memory neuromodulation. She also served as a Working Group Leader (WG5: Consciousness, Learning, and Memory) in a COST Action and is currently the consortium co-lead of the Horizon Europe-funded TWINNIBS project, which aims to strengthen scientific capacities and advance multidisciplinary research in non-invasive brain stimulation. She is an active member of international societies, committed to empowering early-career researchers and promoting the ethical use of neurotechnology for cognitive neuromodulation. She is an active member of international scientific societies, committed to empowering early-career researchers and promoting the ethical use of neurotechnology for cognitive neuromodulation.