TY - JOUR
T1 - Human cortical responses during one-bit short-term memory. A high-resolution EEG study on delayed choice reaction time tasks
AU - Babiloni, Claudio
AU - Babiloni, Fabio
AU - Carducci, Filippo
AU - Cappa, Stefano F.
AU - Cincotti, Febo
AU - Del Percio, Claudio
AU - Miniussi, Carlo
AU - Moretti, Davide Vito
AU - Rossi, Simone
AU - Sosta, Katiuscia
AU - Rossini, Paolo Maria
PY - 2004/1
Y1 - 2004/1
N2 - Objective: We investigated whether a very simple short-term memory (STM) demand induces a visible change of EEG rhythms over the two hemispheres. Methods: High-resolution EEG was obtained in young adults during two delayed choice reaction time tasks. In the STM condition, a simple cue stimulus (one bit) was memorized along a brief delay period (3.5-5.5 s). The task was visuo-spatial in nature. Results: In the control (NSTM) condition, the cue stimulus remained available along the delay period. Compared to the control condition, the theta power (4-6 Hz) decreased in left frontal and bilateral parietal areas (delay period). Furthermore, low alpha power (6-8 Hz) decreased in bilateral frontal and left parietal areas, while high alpha power (10-12 Hz) decreased in the left fronto-parietal areas. Conclusions: The decrease of the alpha power is as an expression of the efficient information transfer within thalamo-cortical pathways. The significance of the study stands in the fact that even a very simple STM task (only one bit to be memorized) revealed changes in fronto-parietal theta and alpha rhythms.
AB - Objective: We investigated whether a very simple short-term memory (STM) demand induces a visible change of EEG rhythms over the two hemispheres. Methods: High-resolution EEG was obtained in young adults during two delayed choice reaction time tasks. In the STM condition, a simple cue stimulus (one bit) was memorized along a brief delay period (3.5-5.5 s). The task was visuo-spatial in nature. Results: In the control (NSTM) condition, the cue stimulus remained available along the delay period. Compared to the control condition, the theta power (4-6 Hz) decreased in left frontal and bilateral parietal areas (delay period). Furthermore, low alpha power (6-8 Hz) decreased in bilateral frontal and left parietal areas, while high alpha power (10-12 Hz) decreased in the left fronto-parietal areas. Conclusions: The decrease of the alpha power is as an expression of the efficient information transfer within thalamo-cortical pathways. The significance of the study stands in the fact that even a very simple STM task (only one bit to be memorized) revealed changes in fronto-parietal theta and alpha rhythms.
KW - Alpha rhythm
KW - Cerebral cortex
KW - Delayed choice reaction time
KW - Electroencephalography
KW - Event related desynchronization/synchronization
KW - Short term memory
KW - Theta rhythm
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U2 - 10.1016/S1388-2457(03)00286-4
DO - 10.1016/S1388-2457(03)00286-4
M3 - Article
C2 - 14706484
AN - SCOPUS:9144254644
VL - 115
SP - 161
EP - 170
JO - Clinical Neurophysiology
JF - Clinical Neurophysiology
SN - 1388-2457
IS - 1
ER -