Theta-band oscillations coordinate local and long-range neural networks in the medial frontal cortex during cognitive control
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1
Amsterdam center for the study of adaptive control in brain and behavior , University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Theta is a prominent frequency band observed in direct recordings of the medial prefrontal cortex in humans and nonhuman primates. Medial frontal theta has been linked to error monitoring and feedback processing during learning tasks, and, at the neurobiological level, to synaptic mechanisms of learning, information coding, and inter-regional communication. I will discuss evidence consistent with the idea that the medial frontal cortex uses theta oscillations to coordinate local and long-range neural networks during cognitive control processes. First, activity recorded locally from the medial frontal cortex correlates with response errors, conflict, and negative performance feedback, and in some cases predicts the extent to which behavior is adjusted in the near future. Second, hypothesis-driven synchronization analyses suggest that the medial frontal cortex uses the theta band to interact with lateral prefrontal, occipital, and ventral striatal regions. Third, hypothesis-free, exploratory mass-synchronization analyses based on graph theory confirm that medial frontal theta during cognitive control tasks reflects a strong “hub” for information flow. Finally, combined EEG and diffusion tensor imaging (which measures structural white matter tracts) reveals that error-related medial frontal theta is linked to anatomical tracts to the ventral striatum and inferior frontal gyrus, whereas long-range cortico-cortical functional connectivity strength is linked to corpus callosum white matter tracts. Together, these findings paint a picture of theta as a language used by the medial frontal cortex to monitor actions and bias activity in brain circuits involved in sensory, motor, social, and emotional processing in order to optimize goal-directed behavior.
Keywords:
EEG,
theta oscillations
Conference:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011.
Presentation Type:
Symposium: Oral Presentation
Topic:
Symposium 13: Functional significance of human prefrontal theta oscillations during cognitive control and learning
Citation:
Cohen
MX
(2011). Theta-band oscillations coordinate local and long-range neural networks in the medial frontal cortex during cognitive control.
Conference Abstract:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00541
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Received:
14 Nov 2011;
Published Online:
28 Nov 2011.
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Correspondence:
Dr. Michael X Cohen, Amsterdam center for the study of adaptive control in brain and behavior , University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 3030@frontiersin.org