title: Semantic priming increases left hemisphere theta power and intertrial phase synchrony.
abstract: Information is stored in distributed cortical networks, but it is unclear how distributed stores are synthesized into a unified percept. Activation of local circuits in the gamma range (30 < < 80 Hz), and distributed stores in the low theta range (3-5 Hz) may underlie perceptual binding. Words have a crucial role in semantic memory. Within memory, the activation of distributed semantic stores is facilitated by conceptually related previous items, termed semantic priming. We sought to detect event-related brain oscillations (EROs) sensitive to semantic activation and priming. Here, we show that low theta evoked power and intertrial phase locking (4-5 Hz) from 250-350 msec over left hemisphere language areas was greater to related than to unrelated words. Theta band event-related oscillations over left hemisphere language areas may provide a brain signature for semantic activation across distributed stores being facilitated by semantic priming.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02478, USA. dean_salisbury@hms.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Dean F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Salisbury
authors.forename: Grantley
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D060865:Repetition Priming / Q000502:physiology*; D012660:Semantics; D013826:Theta Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*