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Frontotemporal bursting supports human working memory
Vladimir Omelyusik1, Tyler S Davis2, Satish S Nair1
1Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, 65211.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|August 8, 2025
Summary
Working memory (WM) relies on dynamic neural activity. This study found that gamma and beta bursting in frontal and temporal areas, coupled via a phase-burst code, support memory maintenance and performance.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Electrophysiology
Background:
- Cortical neural activity fluctuates dynamically during memory tasks.
- The relationship between neural dynamics and working memory (WM) performance is not fully understood.
- Previous studies in non-human primates linked high gamma and beta band bursting in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) to WM processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and coupling of gamma and beta bursting in human lateral PFC and temporal areas during visual WM.
- To determine if these neural oscillations are phase-coupled and relate to WM performance.
- To explore the role of a phase-burst code in supporting memory maintenance.
Main Methods:
- Intracranial macroelectrode recordings from the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and middle temporal gyrus (MTG) in humans.
- Analysis of high gamma (70-140 Hz) and beta (12-30 Hz) band bursting during visual WM tasks.
- Quantification of phase-burst coupling (PBC) between gamma bursting and beta phase within and across regions.
Main Results:
- Increased high gamma bursting and decreased beta bursting in the left PFC during WM encoding and delay periods.
- Increased beta bursting in multisensory temporal areas during encoding, sustained during the delay period, particularly on the right.
- Evidence of delay-period gamma bursting in temporal areas being locked to beta phase in PFC, with variations linked to WM performance.
Conclusions:
- Working memory in humans involves distinct patterns of gamma and beta bursting in frontal and temporal cortices.
- A phase-burst coupling mechanism, where temporal gamma bursting is phase-locked to frontal beta activity, may support memory maintenance.
- These findings elucidate the neural dynamics underlying working memory and suggest a potential code for memory readout.
Keywords:
Biological SciencesPsychological and Cognitive Sciencesbetaburstinggammaintracranial EEGworking memoryMore Related Videos
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