Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Relevance of EEG alpha and theta oscillations during task switching

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Experimental Brain Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In a task switching design, we investigated the question whether long-range theta coupling primarily reflects top–down control processes. Switch and stay trials did not differ with respect to memory load or global working memory (WM) demands. The results revealed significantly stronger theta coupling (in a range of 4–7 Hz) between prefrontal and posterior regions during switch as compared to stay trials. Power differences, reflecting more local effects, were largest in the upper alpha band (10–13 Hz) and over posterior brain areas, possibly reflecting long-term memory activation. The conclusion of the present study is that long-range coherent oscillatory activity in the theta band reflects top–down activation rather than global WM functions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allport A, Styles EA, Hsieh S (1994) Shifting intentional set: exploring the dynamic control of task. In: Umilta C, Moscovitch M (eds) Attention and performance XV. MIT, Cambridge, pp 421–452

    Google Scholar 

  • Baddeley A (1992) Working memory. Science 255:556–559

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barceló F (2003) The Madrid card sorting test (MCST): a task switching paradigm to study executive attention with event-related potentials. Brain Res Protoc 11:27–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fingelkurts A, Fingelkurts A, Krause C, Sams M (2002) Probability interrelations between pre-/post-stimulus intervals and ERD/ERS during a memory task. Clin Neurophysiol 113:826–843

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gevins A, Smith ME, McEvoy L, Yu D (1997) High-resolution EEG mapping of cortical activation related to working memory: effects of task difficulty, type of processing, and practice. Cereb Cortex 7:374–385

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gevins A, Smith ME, Leong H, McEvoy L, Whitfield S, Du R, Rush G (1998) Monitoring working memory load during computer-based tasks with EEG pattern recognition methods. Hum Factors 40:79–91

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gevins A, Smith M (2000) Neurophysiological measures of working memory and individual differences in cognitive ability and cognitive style. Cereb Cortex 10:829–839

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gladwin TE, de Jong R (2005) Bursts of occipital theta and alpha amplitude preceding alternation and repetition trials in a task-switching experiment. Biol Psychol 68:309–329

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grunwald M, Weiss T, Krause W, Beyer L, Rost R, Gutberlet I, Gertz H (1999) Power of theta waves in the EEG of human subjects increases during recall of haptic information. Neurosci Lett 260:189–192

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hsieh S, Liu LC (2005) The nature of switch cost: task set configuration or carry-over effect? Cogn Brain Res 22:165–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen O, Tesche C (2002) Frontal theta activity in humans increases with memory load in a working memory task. Eur J Neurosci 15:1395–1400

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Karayanidis F, Coltheart M, Michie PT, Murphy K (2003) Electrophysiological correlates of anticipatory and poststimulus components of task switching. Psychophysiology 40:329–348

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Klimesch W (1999) EEG alpha and theta oscillations reflect cognitive and memory performance: a review and analysis. Brain Res Brain Res Rev 29:169–195

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klimesch W, Doppelmayr M, Russegger H, Pachinger T, Schwaiger J (1998) Induced alpha band power changes in the human EEG and attention. Neurosci Lett 244:73–76

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Klimesch W, Doppelmayr M, Schwaiger J, Auinger P, Winkler T (1999) ‘Paradoxical’ alpha synchronization in a memory task. Cogn Brain Res 7:493–501

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koch I (2005) Sequential task predictability in task switching. Psychon Bull Rev 12:107–112

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Koch I, Prinz W, Allport A (2005) Involuntary retrieval in alphabet-arithmetic tasks: task-mixing and task-switching costs. Psychol Res 69:252–261

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mecklinger A, Kramer AF, Strayer D (1992) Event-related potentials and EEG components in a semantic memory search task. Psychophysiology 29:104–119

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Monsell S (2003) Task switching. Trends Cogn Sci 7:134–140

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raghavachari S, Kahana M, Rizzuto D, Caplan J, Kirschen M, Burgeois B, Madsen J, Lisman J (2001) Gating of human theta oscillations by a working memory task. J Neurosci 21:3175–3183

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rappelsberger P (1998) Probability mapping of power and coherence: technical aspects. In: Petsche H, Etlinger SC (eds) EEG and thinking. Verlag der österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna, pp 63–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers RD, Monsell S (1995) The cost of the predictable switch between simple cognitive tasks. J Exp Psychol [Gen] 124:207–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rushworth MFS, Hadland KA, Paus T, Sipila PK (2001) Role of the human medial frontal cortex in task switching: a combined fMRI and TMS study. J Neurophysiol 87:2577–2592

    Google Scholar 

  • Rushworth MFS, Passingham RE, Nobre AC (2002) Components of switching intentional set. J Cogn Neurosci 14:1139–1150

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rushworth MFS, Hadland KA, Gaffan D, Passingham RE (2003) The effect of cingulate cortex lesions on task switching and working memory. J Cogn Neurosci 15:338–353

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sarnthein J, Petsche H, Rappelsberger P, Shaw GL, von Stein A (1998) Synchronization between prefrontal and posterior association cortex during human working memory. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:7092–7096

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sauseng P, Klimesch W, Gruber W, Doppelmayr M, Stadler W, Schabus M (2002) The interplay between theta and alpha oscillations in human electroencephalogram reflects the transfer of information between memory systems. Neurosci Lett 324:121–124

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sauseng P, Klimesch W, Doppelmayr M, Hanslmayr S, Schabus M, Gruber W (2004) Theta coupling in the human electroencephalogram during a working memory task. Neurosci Lett 354:123–126

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sauseng P, Klimesch W, Schabus M, Doppelmayr M (2005a) Fronto-parietal coherence in theta and upper alpha reflect central executive functions of working memory. Int J Psychophysiol 57:97–103

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sauseng P, Klimesch W, Doppelmayr M, Pecherstorfer T, Freunberger R, Hanslmayr S (2005b) EEG alpha synchronization and functional coupling during top-down processing in a working memory task. Hum Brain Mapp 26:148–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sohn MH, Carlson RA (2000) Effects of repetition and foreknowledge in task-set reconfiguration. J Exp Psychol [Learn Mem Cogn] 26:1445–1460

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sohn MH, Ursu S, Anderson JR, Stenger VA, Carter CS (2000) The role of prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex in task switching. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:13448–13453

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Swainson R, Cunnington R, Jackson GM, Rorden C, Peters AM, Morris PG, Jackson SR (2003) Cognitive control mechanisms revealed by ERP and fMRI: Evidence from repeated task-switching. J Cogn Neurosci 15:785–799

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Verstraeten E, Gluydts R (2002) Attentional switching-related human EEG alpha oscillations. Neuroreport 13:681–684

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss S, Müller HM, Rappelsberger P (2000) Theta synchronisation predicts efficient memory encoding of concrete and abstract nouns. Neuroreport 11:2357–2361

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wylie G, Allport A (2000) Task switching and the measurement of ‘switch costs’. Psychol Res 63:212–233

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wylie GR, Javitt DC, Foxe JJ (2003) Cognitive control processes during an anticipated switch of task. Eur J Neurosci 17:667–672

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Austrian Science Fund FWF, Project P16849-B02

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria, Europe

    P. Sauseng, W. Klimesch, R. Freunberger, T. Pecherstorfer, S. Hanslmayr & M. Doppelmayr

Authors
  1. P. Sauseng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. W. Klimesch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. Freunberger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. T. Pecherstorfer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. S. Hanslmayr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. M. Doppelmayr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Sauseng.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sauseng, P., Klimesch, W., Freunberger, R. et al. Relevance of EEG alpha and theta oscillations during task switching. Exp Brain Res 170, 295–301 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-005-0211-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-005-0211-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation