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Left temporal alpha band activity increases during working memory retention of pitches
Hanneke van Dijk1, Ingrid L C Nieuwenhuis, Ole Jensen
1Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Hanneke.vanDijk@med.uni-duesseldorf.de
The European Journal of Neuroscience
|June 8, 2010
Summary
Alpha band activity in auditory working memory may disengage irrelevant brain regions. This study used magnetoencephalography to show 5-12 Hz activity in left temporal regions, suggesting a general mechanism for task-irrelevant region disengagement.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
Background:
- The role of alpha band activity (8-12 Hz) in cognitive tasks is debated.
- Alpha activity is linked to visual working memory, potentially by disengaging irrelevant brain areas.
- Its function in auditory working memory remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of alpha band activity in auditory working memory.
- To determine the regional specificity of alpha activity during auditory memory maintenance.
- To explore if alpha activity serves to disengage task-irrelevant brain regions in auditory processing.
Main Methods:
- Whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) was employed.
- A delayed-match-to-sample task with pure, complex harmonic, and complex non-harmonic tones was used.
- Source localization was performed using a beam-forming approach.
Main Results:
- A bilateral increase in 5-12 Hz power was observed during the perception of complex tones compared to a control tone.
- A left-lateralized increase in 5-12 Hz activity was found during the auditory memory maintenance period for all stimuli.
- Source analysis identified left temporal regions as the origin of this activity.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that 5-12 Hz activity in left temporal regions during auditory working memory maintenance serves to functionally disengage these areas.
- This supports the hypothesis that alpha activity is a general mechanism for disengaging task-irrelevant brain regions across sensory modalities.
- The results contribute to understanding the neural basis of auditory working memory and the broader role of alpha oscillations in cognitive control.
