Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

While stroke rehabilitation emphasizes motor recovery, the neural mechanisms underlying short-term memory (STM) impairments—and corresponding compensatory processes—remain underexplored. This study investigates the neurodynamics of STM deficits by analyzing stage-specific brain activation and functional connectivity during perception and decision-making. Utilizing frequency-resolved electrophysiological measures, we identify a distinct dissociation in neural plasticity: increased theta-band power near lesion sites suggests adaptive compensation restoring global network efficiency, yet connectivity within core STM regions remains localized and weak, particularly during memory output. In contrast, higher-order cognitive deficits are marked by significant reductions in gamma-band power and network efficiency. By providing a stage-specific analysis of functional communication, this research pinpoints where compensatory efforts succeed or fail. Our findings offer a novel framework for understanding post-stroke plasticity limits and a targeted foundation for neuromodulatory interventions for cognitive recovery.