PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Rassi, Elie
AU  - Lin, Wy Ming
AU  - Zhang, Yi
AU  - Emmerzaal, Jill
AU  - Haegens, Saskia
TI  - β Band Rhythms Influence Reaction Times
AID  - 10.1523/ENEURO.0473-22.2023
DP  - 2023 Jun 01
TA  - eneuro
PG  - ENEURO.0473-22.2023
VI  - 10
IP  - 6
4099  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/10/6/ENEURO.0473-22.2023.short
4100  - http://www.eneuro.org/content/10/6/ENEURO.0473-22.2023.full
SO  - eNeuro2023 Jun 01; 10
AB  - Despite their involvement in many cognitive functions, β oscillations are among the least understood brain rhythms. Reports on whether the functional role of β is primarily inhibitory or excitatory have been contradictory. Our framework attempts to reconcile these findings and proposes that several β rhythms co-exist at different frequencies. β Frequency shifts and their potential influence on behavior have thus far received little attention. In this human magnetoencephalography (MEG) experiment, we asked whether changes in β power or frequency in auditory cortex and motor cortex influence behavior (reaction times) during an auditory sweep discrimination task. We found that in motor cortex, increased β power slowed down responses, while in auditory cortex, increased β frequency slowed down responses. We further characterized β as transient burst events with distinct spectro-temporal profiles influencing reaction times. Finally, we found that increased motor-to-auditory β connectivity also slowed down responses. In sum, β power, frequency, bursting properties, cortical focus, and connectivity profile all influenced behavioral outcomes. Our results imply that the study of β oscillations requires caution as β dynamics are multifaceted phenomena, and that several dynamics must be taken into account to reconcile mixed findings in the literature.