Theta band activity during event-file retrieval is influenced by stimulus salience in the preceding action episode

Action control theories propose that both perceptual and action-related features of an action episode are temporarily bound together into event-files. When one of these features reappears, the corresponding event-file is retrieved, which can either facilitate or interfere with current performance depending on whether the retrieved and the current features match. Typically, partial repetitions of an event-file lead to slower responses and increased error rates compared to complete repetitions or complete changes (this phenomenon is labeled the 'binding effect'). The present study (n = 49) examined how perceptual salience influences the integration and retrieval of stimulus features within such event-files. Participants performed a sequential task in which an initially irrelevant stimulus could later become relevant, allowing us to assess how salience during binding shapes subsequent retrieval processes. Behaviorally, stronger binding effects emerged when the initially irrelevant stimulus had been salient compared to when it had been non-salient. At the neural level, this modulation was mirrored by enhanced theta-band activity over parieto-occipital regions during the probe display, consistent with the engagement of cognitive control mechanisms during event-file retrieval. Source localization further indicated that this theta modulation involved cingulate and supplementary motor areas, supporting their role in resolving interference between competing responses. Together, these findings suggest that perceptual salience strengthens the integration of stimulus features into event-files and/or event-file retrieval, enhancing subsequent retrieval-related conflict, observable both in behavioral performance and oscillatory activity.