Rhythmic Pulsing: Linking ongoing brain activity with evoked responses
The conventional assumption in human cognitive electrophysiology using EEG and MEG is that the presentation of a particular event such as visual or auditory stimuli evokes a 'turning on' of additional brain activity that adds to the ongoing background activity. Averaging multiple event-loc...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2010-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2010.00177/full |
| _version_ | 1818148420412506112 |
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| author | Ali Mazaheri Ole Jensen |
| author_facet | Ali Mazaheri Ole Jensen |
| author_sort | Ali Mazaheri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The conventional assumption in human cognitive electrophysiology using EEG and MEG is that the presentation of a particular event such as visual or auditory stimuli evokes a 'turning on' of additional brain activity that adds to the ongoing background activity. Averaging multiple event-locked trials is thought to result in the cancellation of the seemingly random phased ongoing activity while leaving the evoked response. However, recent work strongly challenges this conventional view and demonstrates that the ongoing activity is not averaged out due specific non-sinusoidal properties. On the contrary, systematic modulations in ongoing activity can produce slow cortical evoked responses reflecting cognitive processing. In this review we introduce the concept of ‘rhythmic pulsing’ to account for this specific non-sinusoidal property. We will explain how rhythmic pulsing can create slow evoked responses from a physiological perspective. We will also discuss how the notion of rhythmic pulsing provides a unifying framework linking ongoing oscillations, evoked responses and the brain’s capacity to process incoming information. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T12:50:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f9119aa1bada41d88f81a84af341025b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T12:50:51Z |
| publishDate | 2010-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-f9119aa1bada41d88f81a84af341025b2022-12-22T01:06:41ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612010-10-01410.3389/fnhum.2010.001771962Rhythmic Pulsing: Linking ongoing brain activity with evoked responsesAli Mazaheri0Ole Jensen1Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour; Radboud University NijmegenDonders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour; Radboud University NijmegenThe conventional assumption in human cognitive electrophysiology using EEG and MEG is that the presentation of a particular event such as visual or auditory stimuli evokes a 'turning on' of additional brain activity that adds to the ongoing background activity. Averaging multiple event-locked trials is thought to result in the cancellation of the seemingly random phased ongoing activity while leaving the evoked response. However, recent work strongly challenges this conventional view and demonstrates that the ongoing activity is not averaged out due specific non-sinusoidal properties. On the contrary, systematic modulations in ongoing activity can produce slow cortical evoked responses reflecting cognitive processing. In this review we introduce the concept of ‘rhythmic pulsing’ to account for this specific non-sinusoidal property. We will explain how rhythmic pulsing can create slow evoked responses from a physiological perspective. We will also discuss how the notion of rhythmic pulsing provides a unifying framework linking ongoing oscillations, evoked responses and the brain’s capacity to process incoming information.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2010.00177/fullinhibitionAlpha oscillationsamplitude asymetryevoked responses |
| spellingShingle | Ali Mazaheri Ole Jensen Rhythmic Pulsing: Linking ongoing brain activity with evoked responses Frontiers in Human Neuroscience inhibition Alpha oscillations amplitude asymetry evoked responses |
| title | Rhythmic Pulsing: Linking ongoing brain activity with evoked responses |
| title_full | Rhythmic Pulsing: Linking ongoing brain activity with evoked responses |
| title_fullStr | Rhythmic Pulsing: Linking ongoing brain activity with evoked responses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rhythmic Pulsing: Linking ongoing brain activity with evoked responses |
| title_short | Rhythmic Pulsing: Linking ongoing brain activity with evoked responses |
| title_sort | rhythmic pulsing linking ongoing brain activity with evoked responses |
| topic | inhibition Alpha oscillations amplitude asymetry evoked responses |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2010.00177/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alimazaheri rhythmicpulsinglinkingongoingbrainactivitywithevokedresponses AT olejensen rhythmicpulsinglinkingongoingbrainactivitywithevokedresponses |