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Science 4 April 2008:
Vol. 320. no. 5872, pp. 110 - 113
DOI: 10.1126/science.1154735
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Reports

Entrainment of Neuronal Oscillations as a Mechanism of Attentional Selection

Peter Lakatos,1,2 George Karmos,2,3 Ashesh D. Mehta,4 Istvan Ulbert,2,3 Charles E. Schroeder1,5*

Whereas gamma-band neuronal oscillations clearly appear integral to visual attention, the role of lower-frequency oscillations is still being debated. Mounting evidence indicates that a key functional property of these oscillations is the rhythmic shifting of excitability in local neuronal ensembles. Here, we show that when attended stimuli are in a rhythmic stream, delta-band oscillations in the primary visual cortex entrain to the rhythm of the stream, resulting in increased response gain for task-relevant events and decreased reaction times. Because of hierarchical cross-frequency coupling, delta phase also determines momentary power in higher-frequency activity. These instrumental functions of low-frequency oscillations support a conceptual framework that integrates numerous earlier findings.

1 Cognitive Neuroscience and Schizophrenia Program, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
2 Institute for Psychology, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary 1394.
3 Faculty of Information Technology, Péter Pázmány Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary 1083.
4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY 11040, USA.
5 Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: schrod{at}nki.rfmh.org

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Neuronal Mechanisms of Cortical Alpha Oscillations in Awake-Behaving Macaques.
A. Bollimunta, Y. Chen, C. E. Schroeder, and M. Ding (2008)
J. Neurosci. 28, 9976-9988
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Top-Down Control of Human Visual Cortex by Frontal and Parietal Cortex in Anticipatory Visual Spatial Attention.
S. L. Bressler, W. Tang, C. M. Sylvester, G. L. Shulman, and M. Corbetta (2008)
J. Neurosci. 28, 10056-10061
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)