The interplay between theta and alpha oscillations in the human electroencephalogram reflects the transfer of information between memory systems

The exchange of information between the working and long-term memory system (WMS and LTMS) was investigated. We analyzed evoked theta and upper alpha desynchronization in a special memory task, designed to study the transfer of information between both memory systems. The results show that during at...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuroscience letters 2002-05, Vol.324 (2), p.121-124
Main Authors: Sauseng, P., Klimesch, W., Gruber, W., Doppelmayr, M., Stadler, W., Schabus, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Alpha
Alpha Rhythm
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Biological Clocks - physiology
Brain Mapping
Cerebral Cortex - physiology
Desynchronization
Electrophysiology
Evoked Potentials - physiology
Female
Functional Laterality - physiology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Male
Memory
Memory, Short-Term - physiology
Nerve Net - physiology
Neural Pathways - physiology
Neuropsychological Tests
Oscillations
Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology
Photic Stimulation
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Reaction Time - physiology
Theta
Theta Rhythm
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Summary:The exchange of information between the working and long-term memory system (WMS and LTMS) was investigated. We analyzed evoked theta and upper alpha desynchronization in a special memory task, designed to study the transfer of information between both memory systems. The results show that during attempts to retrieve information from the LTMS, evoked theta oscillations spread from anterior to posterior recording sites. When information actually is retrieved, the direction reverses and theta spreads to frontal sites. This time point—when direction reverses—varies between subjects to a large extent but is significantly correlated with memory performance and the onset of upper alpha desynchronization. We conclude that this phenomenon reflects the transfer of information between the WMS and LTMS
ISSN:0304-3940
1872-7972
DOI:10.1016/S0304-3940(02)00225-2