S. Haegens: Beta frequency shifts in decision making: Spectral fingerprints or communication channels?

Abstract
We recently proposed that the beta rhythm (15–30 Hz) provides a key aspect of routing information through the brain, namely, the formation of flexible, transient neural ensembles. We tested this hypothesis using spike and LFP recordings in non-human primates and MEG/EEG in healthy human participants performing a categorical decision-making task. We found that beta-band frequency shifts in frontal cortex signal categorical decision outcomes, with activity in these bands predicting the behavioral response. These results further substantiate the idea that beta provides the scaffolding for the formation of neural ensembles. We argue that beta frequency shifts arise from changes in connectivity between weakly coupled oscillators and that, more than a spectral fingerprint, they reflect an active mechanism to (re)-activate behaviorally relevant communication channels in the brain

Speaker's website

Zoom Meeting ID: 668 2663 6762
Password: BK-S2026