EEG-Monitored Electrical Activity to Track Stored Information With High Temporal Precision

Because working memory is correlated with measures of fluid intelligence and is relevant on a daily basis, it is important to investigate its properties. By monitoring neural activity with electroencelography (EEG), we are able to generate channel tuning functions from the electrical waves oscillating in the alpha band frequency (7.5-12.5 Hz). This study seeks to validate the temporal precision allowed with EEG by exploring the sensory systems responsible for governing visual working memory, specifically the manner in which populations of sensory neurons work together to create cognitive representations of relevant features of the outside world. Focusing on the neural activity responding to oriented lines, we found that while visual stimuli invoked equivalent responses for both the relevant and irrelevant orientations when two lines occupied the visual field, an amplitude increase in the tuning functions associated with the relevant feature coincided with an amplitude decrease in tuning functions associated with the irrelevant feature when the subject was asked to hold the orientation in memory. These findings validate the influential role of selective attention on populations of orientation-selective neurons.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Oregon

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Breuner, Richard McKay

• Biology
• EEG
• Cognitive
• Temporal Precision
• Neurological
• Stored Information
• Tuning Function

Statement dc:rights

• All Rights Reserved.

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1794/18039

OAI record oai:identifier

https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Ascholarsbank.uoregon.edu%3A1794%2F18039