Abstract
In human scalp EEG recordings, both sustained potentials and alpha-band oscillations are present during the delay period of working memory tasks and may therefore reflect the representation of information in working memory. However, these signals may instead reflect support mechanisms rather than the actual contents of memory. In particular, alpha-band oscillations have been tightly tied to spatial attention and may not reflect location-independent memory representations per se. To determine how sustained and oscillating EEG signals are related to attention and working memory, we attempted to decode which of 16 orientations was being held in working memory by human observers (both women and men). We found that sustained EEG activity could be used to decode the remembered orientation of a stimulus, even when the orientation of the stimulus varied independently of its location. Alpha-band oscillations also carried clear information about the location of the stimulus, but they provided little or no information about orientation independently of location. Thus, sustained potentials contain information about the object properties being maintained in working memory, consistent with previous evidence of a tight link between these potentials and working memory capacity. In contrast, alpha-band oscillations primarily carry location information, consistent with their link to spatial attention.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 409-422 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Neuroscience |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 10 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Alpha
- Decoding
- EEG
- ERP
- Orientation
- Working memory
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Neuroscience