TY - JOUR
T1 - Words and pseudowords elicit distinct patterns of 30-Hz EEG responses in humans
AU - Lutzenberger, Werner
AU - Pulvermüller, Friedemann
AU - Birbaumer, Niels
PY - 1994/7/18
Y1 - 1994/7/18
N2 - Meaningful words, such as moon, and physically similar but meaningless pseudowords, such as noom, were presented visually in a lexical decision task. The EEG was recorded from 17 scalp electrodes. Significant differences between both stimulus classes were observed in evoked spectral responses of the 'γ-band' ∼30 Hz. A hemisphere by wordness interaction demonstrated that 30-Hz spectral power over the left hemisphere was reduced after pseudowords only. These results indicate that γ-band responses reflect the different cognitive processes induced by words and pseudowords. A possible explanation is the following. Synchronous activation of large cortical cell assemblies takes place after word presentation but not after presentation of pseudowords.
AB - Meaningful words, such as moon, and physically similar but meaningless pseudowords, such as noom, were presented visually in a lexical decision task. The EEG was recorded from 17 scalp electrodes. Significant differences between both stimulus classes were observed in evoked spectral responses of the 'γ-band' ∼30 Hz. A hemisphere by wordness interaction demonstrated that 30-Hz spectral power over the left hemisphere was reduced after pseudowords only. These results indicate that γ-band responses reflect the different cognitive processes induced by words and pseudowords. A possible explanation is the following. Synchronous activation of large cortical cell assemblies takes place after word presentation but not after presentation of pseudowords.
KW - 30 Hz
KW - Cell assembly
KW - Cognitive
KW - EEG
KW - Evoked spectral response
KW - Language
KW - Lexical processing
KW - γ-Band
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0028069983&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1016/0304-3940(94)90884-2
DO - 10.1016/0304-3940(94)90884-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 7970225
AN - SCOPUS:0028069983
VL - 176
SP - 115
EP - 118
JO - Neuroscience Letters
JF - Neuroscience Letters
SN - 0304-3940
IS - 1
ER -