Contextually sensitive power changes across multiple frequency bands underpin cognitive control

Abstract

Flexible control of cognition bestows a remarkable adaptability to a broad range of contexts. While cognitive control is known to rely on frontoparietal neural architecture to achieve this flexibility, the neural mechanisms that allow such adaptability to context are poorly understood. In the current study, we quantified contextual demands on the cognitive control system via a priori estimation of information across three tasks varying in difficulty (oddball, go/nogo, and switch tasks) and compared neural responses across these different contexts. We report evidence of the involvement of multiple frequency bands during preparation and implementation of cognitive control. Specifically, a common frontoparietal delta and a central alpha process corresponded to rule implementation and motor response respectively. Interestingly, we found evidence of a frontal theta signature that was sensitive to increasing amounts of information and a posterior parietal alpha process only seen during anticipatory rule updating. Importantly, these neural signatures of context processing match proposed frontal hierarchies of control and together provide novel evidence of a complex interplay of multiple frequency bands underpinning flexible, contextually sensitive cognition.

Characterizing the roles of alpha and theta oscillations in multisensory attention

“…These results confirm the hypothesis that fronto-central theta oscillations play a critical role in multisensory divided attention. In the paradigm used here, fronto-central theta oscillations appear more likely to be related to cognitive control (Cooper et al, 2016; Cavanagh & Frank, 2014) than short-term memory (Klimesch, 1996). Though we did not replicate our findings in Experiment 1 of continuously high inter-trial phase coherence in the alpha frequency range throughout Auditory trials, we did replicate the pattern of inter-trial phase coherence in the theta range (with Audio-Visual ITPC highest at stimulus onset).…”

“…Specifically, we hypothesize that theta oscillations (4–7 Hz) play a role in multisensory divided attention, similarly to the way that alpha oscillations play a role in selective ignoring of distracting sensory information. This hypothesis reflects the fact that theta oscillations have been implicated in various functions related to multisensory divided attention, such as audio-visual integration (Sakowitz, Schürmann, & Başar, 2000) and cognitive control (Cooper, Darriba, Karayanidis, & Barceló, 2016; Cavanagh & Frank, 2014; Cavanagh, Frank, Klein, & Allen, 2010). …”

Proactive Control: Neural Oscillatory Correlates of Conflict Anticipation and Response Slowing

“…With transcranial alternating current stimulation in the theta frequency applied to midfrontal scalp region, participants slowed down in response during low-conflict trials and as a result exhibited less conflict effect in a Simon task (van Driel et al 2015). In another EEG study of proactive control, theta oscillation reflected information gathering for proactive control across oddball, go/no-go, and task-switching paradigms (Cooper et al 2016). More broadly, studies have associated theta oscillations to various top-down cognitive processes to ready attention for task switching (Min and Park, 2010; Daitch et al 2013; Phillips et al 2014), maintain working memory (Scheeringa et al 2009), and encode and retrieve episodic memories (Nyhus and Curran, 2010).…”

“…Another intracranial EEG study showed that the phase of delta-theta (2–5 Hz) oscillation modulated high-gamma power (>70 Hz), and a stronger coupling predicted shorter RT in spatial target detection (Szczepanski et al 2014; Voytek et al 2015). A recent study of oddball, go/no-go, and switch tasks demonstrated sensitivity of frontal delta and theta power to sensorimotor control (Cooper et al 2016). In a modified stop-signal paradigm, which manipulated proactive/reactive control (with informative/neutral preparatory cue) in conjunction with selectivity of stopping behavior (unimanual vs. bimanual response), both factors interactively modulated delta power on stop trials (Lavallee et al 2014).…”

Attention, in and Out: Scalp-Level and Intracranial EEG Correlates of Interoception and Exteroception

“…In light of the relationship between low frequencies (1–35 Hz) and attentional and exteroceptive sensory activity (Narici et al, 1990; Schurmann and Basar, 1994, 2001; Palva and Palva, 2007; Sadaghiani et al, 2010; Cooper et al, 2016; Pandey et al, 2016), and considering that higher oscillations (35–110 Hz) are strengthened by internal tasks, consciousness, and awareness (Meador et al, 2002; Dressler et al, 2004; Melloni et al, 2007; Wyart and Tallon-Baudry, 2009; Canales-Johnson et al, 2015), we explored two frequency ranges: 1–35 Hz and Broadband (BB) from 35 to 110 Hz. The latter is commonly used in intracranial studies (Hesse et al, 2016).…”