Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Eye Movements in Visual Duration Perception: Disentangling Stimulus from Time in Predecisional Processes
Published on: January 19, 2024
Theta-band spectral centroid shifts during visual working memory
K Hendriks1, F G van Dijk1, D J L G Schutter2
1Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, PO Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Ministry of Defence, PO Box 90000, 3509 AA, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
Objective:
Theta oscillations (4-8 Hz) are known to be involved in visual working memory (WM), but little is known about the role of the speed and the dynamics of the dominant individual theta frequency (ITF) in visual WM. This study investigates shifts in theta-band spectral centroid and theta spectral power across visual WM stages, alongside neighboring frequency bands (delta and alpha), and their relationship with performance.
Methods:
EEG data were recorded from thirty-six healthy adults performing a color change detection task.
Results:
Time-frequency analyses showed that theta power increased during the encoding and response stage compared to the retention stage (p < .001). The theta-band spectral centroid accelerated from encoding to response (p < .012). A similar pattern was observed in the delta band, but not in the alpha band. Shifts in theta-band spectral centroid or theta power between stages did not correlate with performance (p > .05).
Conclusions:
Our findings show that centroid frequencies are not stable across working memory stages, but vary between encoding, retention, and response. This pattern was observed not only in the theta band but also in neighboring frequency bands, suggesting that these effects are not limited to theta activity, but reflect broader low-frequency dynamics.
Significance:
These results indicate stage-related changes in power and centroid frequency during WM, extending beyond theta-band activity.
