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Updated: Oct 28, 2025

Tuning in the Hippocampal Theta Band In Vitro: Methodologies for Recording from the Isolated Rodent Septohippocampal Circuit
Published on: August 2, 2017
Is short-term memory capacity (7±2) really predicted by theta to gamma cycle length ratio?
Kristýna Malenínská1, Veronika Rudolfová2, Kateřina Šulcová3
1National Institute of Mental Health, Topolová 748, 250 67, Klecany, Czech Republic; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, 128 44, Prague, Czech Republic; Institute of Physiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 142 20, Prague, Czech Republic.
Abstract:
Several studies suggest that EEG parameters, reflecting top-down processes in the brain, may predict cognitive performance, e.g. short-term memory (STM) capacity. According to Lisman and Idiart's model, STM capacity is predicted by theta and gamma EEG waves and their ratio. This model suggests that the more periods of gamma band waves fit into one period of theta band waves, the more information can be stored. We replicated the study by Kaminski et al. (2011), which recorded spontaneous EEG activity and measured verbal STM capacity with a modified digit span task from the Wechsler battery. Our study included more subjects and two EEG recording sessions. We discuss the possible limits of EEG correlates of STM capacity as EEG parameters were not stable across the two measurements and no correlation was found between the theta/gamma ratio and performance in the digit span task.
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