title: Gamma or no gamma, that is the question.
abstract: Numerous studies suggest that gamma-band synchronization is central to visual processing, yet most of them have used artificial stimuli. A new study using electrocorticography (ECoG) in humans reported finding no gamma for many natural images and for visual noise. However, we highlight that sensitive metrics can reveal clear gamma not only for natural images, but for noise stimuli and even during the absence of visual stimuli. This shows the importance of using appropriate metrics for detecting rhythmic synchronization and investigating the function of gamma during natural viewing.
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brunet
authors.affiliation: Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany; Department of Neurobiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8001, USA.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vinck
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Conrado A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bosman
authors.affiliation: Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Deutschordenstr. 46, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Singer
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany. Electronic address: pascal.fries@esi-frankfurt.de.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fries
mesh_terms: D058256:Brain Waves / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006801:Humans; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: broadband high-frequency power; electrocorticography (ECoG); gamma-band synchronization; human versus animal; local field potential (LFP); natural vision