Hot off the press: Oscillatory Brain
State and Variability in Working Memory
In a new paper, Nick Myers and
colleagues show how spontaneous fluctuations in
alpha-band synchronization over visual
cortex predict the trial-by-trial accuracy of items stored in visual working
memory. The pre-stimulus desynchronization of alpha oscillations correlated
with the accuracy of memory recall. A model-based analysis indicated that this
effect arises from a modulation in the precision of memorized items, but not
the likelihood of remembering them (the recall rate). The phase of
posterior alpha oscillations preceding the memorized item also predicted memory
accuracy. The study highlights the influence of spontaneous changes in cortical
excitability on higher visual cognition, and how these state changes contribute
to large amounts of variability in what is normally thought of as a stable
aspect of behavior.
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| From Figure 2 in Myers et al. (2014) |
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