Wolfgang Klimesch (1994) The Ignition of Cortical Cell Assemblies: Some Arguments Against
. Psycoloquy: 5(58) Brain Rhythms (4)
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Psycoloquy 5(58): The Ignition of Cortical Cell Assemblies: Some Arguments Against
THE IGNITION OF CORTICAL CELL ASSEMBLIES: SOME ARGUMENTS AGAINST
THE ASSUMPTION OF A SELECTIVE INCREASE IN GAMMA BAND POWER
Commentary on Pulvermueller et al. on Brain-Rhythms
Wolfgang Klimesch
University of Salzburg
Department of Psychophysiology
A-5020 Salzburg
Klimesch@edvz.sbg.ac.at
Abstract
It is argued that an increase in gamma band power in
response to the ignition of a relevant cell assembly can be
expected only if the activation of irrelevant cell assemblies can
be selectively suppressed or inhibited. Analyses of EEG band power
in other frequency bands, such as the lower, upper alpha and beta
band, however, have shown that band power decreases as cognitive
demands increase.
Keywords
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
References
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- Anderson, J.R. (1983). A spreading activation theory of memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 22:261-295.
- Klimesch, W., Pfurtscheller, G., Mohl, W. & Schimke, H. (1990a). Event-related desynchronization, ERD-mapping and hemispheric differences for words and numbers. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 8:279-308.
- Klimesch, W., Schimke, H., Ladurner, G. & Pfurtscheller, G. (1990a). Alpha frequency and memory performance. Journal of Psychophysiology, 4:381-390.
- Klimesch, W., Pfurtscheller, G. & Schimke, H. (1992). Pre- and post-stimulus processes in category judgement tasks as measured by event-related desynchronization (ERD). Journal of Psychophysiology, 6:186-203.
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- Pfurtscheller, G. & Klimesch, W. (1992). Functional topography during a visuoverbal judgment task studied with event-related desynchronization mapping. Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, 9:120-131.
- Pulvermueller, F., Preissl, H., Eulitz, C., Pantev, C., Lutzenberger, W., Elbert, T. and Birbaumer, N. (1994). Brain Rhythms, Cell Assemblies and Cognition: Evidence from the Processing of Words and Pseudowords. PSYCOLOQUY 5(48) brain-rhythms.1.pulvermueller.