BRAIN RHYTHMS, CELL ASSEMBLIES AND COGNITION:
EVIDENCE FROM THE PROCESSING OF WORDS AND PSEUDOWORDS
Target Article by Pulvermueller et al. on Brain-Rhythms

<hr> Friedemann Pulvermueller (1) (1994) Brain Rhythms, Cell Assemblies and Cognition:. Psycoloquy: 5(48) Brain Rhythms (1)<br>Versions: <a href=ftp://www.cogsci.soton.ac.uk/pub/psycoloquy//1994.volume.5/psyc.94.5.48.brain-rhythms.1.pulvermueller>ASCII</a> <a href=http://www.cogsci.ecs.soton.ac.uk/cgi/psyc/newpsy?5.48>formatted</a><hr>
<TITLE>Psycoloquy 5(48): Brain Rhythms, Cell Assemblies and Cognition:</TITLE>
<H1>BRAIN RHYTHMS, CELL ASSEMBLIES AND COGNITION:<br>
EVIDENCE FROM THE PROCESSING OF WORDS AND PSEUDOWORDS<br>
Target Article by Pulvermueller et al. on Brain-Rhythms<br>
</H1>
<ADDRESS>Friedemann Pulvermueller (1)<br>
Hubert Preissl (1)<br>
Carsten Eulitz (2)<br>
Christo Pantev (2)<br>
Werner Lutzenberger (1)<br>
Thomas Elbert (2)<br>
Niels Birbaumer (1, 3)<br>
<br>
(1) Institut fuer Medizinische Psychologie und<br>
Verhaltensneurobiologie, Universitaet Tuebingen,<br>
Gartenstrasse 29, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany<br>
<br>
(2) Institut fuer Experimentelle Audiologie, <br>
Universitaet Muenster, Kardinal von Galen-Ring 10, <br>
48149 Muenster, Germany<br>
<br>
(3) Universita degli Studi, Padova, Italy<br>
<br>
<br>
<a href=mailto:PUMUE@mailserv.zdv.uni-tuebingen.de>PUMUE@mailserv.zdv.uni-tuebingen.de</a> 
</ADDRESS>
<P><H1>Abstract</H1><BLOCKQUOTE>
In modern brain theory, cortical cell assemblies are
assumed to form the basis of higher brain functions such as form
and word processing. When gestures or words are produced and
perceived repeatedly by the infant, cell assemblies develop which
represent these building blocks of cognitive processing. This leads
to an obvious prediction: cell assembly activation ("ignition")
should take place upon presentation of items relevant for cognition
(e.g., words, such as "moon"), whereas no ignition should occur
with meaningless items (e.g., pseudowords, such as "noom"). Cell
assembly activity may be reflected by high-frequency brain
responses, such as synchronous oscillations or rhythmic
spatiotemporal activity patterns in which large numbers of neurons
participate. In recent MEG and EEG experiments, differential
gamma-band responses of the human brain were observed upon
presentation of words and pseudowords. These findings are
consistent with the view that fast coherent and rhythmic activation
of large neuronal assemblies takes place with word but not
pseudowords.
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P><H1>Keywords</H1><i>
brain theory, cell assembly, cognition, event related
potentials (ERP), electroencephalograph (EEG), gamma band, Hebb,
language, lexical processing, magnetoencephalography (MEG),
psychophysiology, periodicity, power spectral analysis, synchrony
</i>
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