Oscillations in the Alpha Band (9–12 Hz) Increase with Memory Load during Retention in a Short-term Memory Task
TLDR
It is found that the alpha peak systematically increased with the number of items held in working memory and the load dependence and the tight temporal regulation of alpha provide strong evidence that thealpha generating system is directly or indirectly linked to the circuits responsible for working memory.Abstract:
To study the role of brain oscillations in working memory, we recorded the scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) during the retention interval of a modified Sternberg task. A power spectral analysis of the EEG during the retention interval revealed a clear peak at 9−12 Hz, a frequency in the alpha band (8−13 Hz). In apparent conflict with previous ideas according to which alpha band oscillations represent brain ‘idling’, we found that the alpha peak systematically increased with the number of items held in working memory. The enhancement was prominent over the posterior and bilateral central regions. The enhancement over posterior regions is most likely explained by the well known alpha rhythm produced close to the parietal-occipital fissure, whereas the lateral enhancement could be explained by sources in somato-motor cortex. A time-frequency analysis revealed that the enhancement was present throughout the last 2.5 s of the 2.8 s retention interval and that alpha power rapidly diminished following the probe. The load dependence and the tight temporal regulation of alpha provide strong evidence that the alpha generating system is directly or indirectly linked to the circuits responsible for working memory. Although a clear peak in the theta band (5−8 Hz) was only detectable in one subject, other lines of evidence indicate that theta occurs and also has a role in working memory. Hypotheses concerning the role of alpha band activity in working memory are discussed.read more
Citations
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Ole Jensen,Ali Mazaheri +1 more
TL;DR: It is proposed that information is gated by inhibiting task-irrelevant regions, thus routing information to task-relevant regions and the empirical support for this framework is discussed.
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Alpha-band oscillations, attention, and controlled access to stored information
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Neurophysiological and Computational Principles of Cortical Rhythms in Cognition
TL;DR: A plethora of studies will be reviewed on the involvement of long-distance neuronal coherence in cognitive functions such as multisensory integration, working memory, and selective attention, and implications of abnormal neural synchronization are discussed as they relate to mental disorders like schizophrenia and autism.
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Frontal theta activity in humans increases with memory load in a working memory task.
TL;DR: The results suggest that theta oscillations generated in frontal brain regions play an active role in memory maintenance.
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Temporal dynamics of brain activation during a working memory task
Jonathan D. Cohen,Jonathan D. Cohen,William M. Perlstein,Todd S. Braver,Leigh E. Nystrom,Douglas C. Noll,John Jonides,Edward E. Smith +7 more
TL;DR: Functional magnetic resonance imaging is used to examine brain activation in human subjects during performance of a working memory task and to show that prefrontal cortex along with parietal cortex appears to play a role in active maintenance.
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High-resolution EEG mapping of cortical activation related to working memory: effects of task difficulty, type of processing, and practice.
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Storage of 7 +/- 2 short-term memories in oscillatory subcycles
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TL;DR: It is shown that activity patterns associated with multiple memories can be stored in a single neural network that exhibits nested oscillations similar to those recorded from the brain.
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