Horst M. Mueller (1) (1994) Word Processing and Gamma Band Activity . Psycoloquy: 5(60) Brain Rhythms (5)
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Psycoloquy 5(60): Word Processing and Gamma Band Activity

WORD PROCESSING AND GAMMA BAND ACTIVITY
Commentary on Pulvermueller et al. on Brain-Rhythms

Horst M. Mueller (1)
Hennric Jokeit (2)

(1) Department of Cognitive Science
University of California at San Diego
La Jolla, CA 92093-0515, USA

(2) Epilepsie-Zentrum Bethel
Klinik Mara I
33617 Bielefeld, Germany

mueller@cogsci.ucsd.edu jkt@mara-adm.de

Abstract

Pulvermueller et al. (1994) review the cell assembly theory and discuss theoretical explanations for their observed experimental findings during high-level cognitive processes such as word processing. To find empirical evidence for their hypothesis, ERP and MEG experiments on word and nonword comprehension were conducted. It is not clear, however, whether the observed suppression at 30 Hz following pseudoword presentation reflects real gamma-band dynamics rather than so-called event-related desynchronization in the beta band of the EEG with a similar time course.

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