Event-related theta power increases in the human EEG during online sentence processing.
By analyzing event-related changes in induced band power in narrow frequency bands of the human electroencephalograph, the present paper explores a possible functional role of the alpha and theta rhythms during the processing of words and of sentences. The results show a phasic power increase in the theta frequency range, together with a phasic power decrease in the alpha frequency range, following the presentation of words in a sentence. These effects may be related to word processing, either lexical or in relation to sentence context. Most importantly, there is a slow and highly frequency-specific increase in theta power as a sentence unfolds, possibly related to the formation of an episodic memory trace, or to incremental verbal working memory load.
Bastiaansen
Marcel C M
MC
Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, P.O. Box 310, 6500 AH, The, Nijmegen, Netherlands. marcel.bastiaansen@mpi.nl
van Berkum
Jos J A
JJ
Hagoort
Peter
P
D000328:Adult; D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D011932:Reading; D013826:Theta Rhythm