Brain Rhythms & Cognition: PSYCOLOQUY Call for Commentary

[Stevan Harnad]

  Pulvermueller et al: BRAIN RHYTHMS, CELL ASSEMBLIES AND COGNITION

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  TARGET ARTICLE AUTHOR'S RATIONALE FOR SOLICITING COMMENTARY:

  Fast periodic brain responses have been investigated in various
  mammals, humans included. Although most neuroscientists agree on the
  importance of these processes, it is not at all clear what role they
  play in cortical and subcortical processing. Are they simply a
  byproduct of perceptual processes, or do they play a role in what can
  be called higher or cognitive processing in the brain? We tried to
  answer this question by performing experiments in which spectral
  responses to meaningful words and physically similar but meaningless
  pseudowords were recorded from the human cortex. The result,
  differential 30-Hz responses to these stimuli, is interpreted in the
  framework of a Hebbian cell assembly theory. We hope that both the
  results and the brain-theoretic approach will stimulate a fruitful
  multidisciplinary discussion.

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psycoloquy.94.5.48.brain-rhythms.1.pulvermueller  Friday 19 August 1994
ISSN 1055-0143   (30 paragraphs, 10 figs, 9 notes, 61 refs, 1203 lines)
PSYCOLOQUY is sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA)
                Copyright 1994 Friedemann Pulvermueller et al.

        BRAIN RHYTHMS, CELL ASSEMBLIES AND COGNITION:
        EVIDENCE FROM THE PROCESSING OF WORDS AND PSEUDOWORDS

                Friedemann Pulvermueller (1)
                Hubert Preissl (1)
                Carsten Eulitz (2)
                Christo Pantev (2)
                Werner Lutzenberger (1)
                Thomas Elbert (2)
                Niels Birbaumer (1, 3)

    (1) Institut fuer Medizinische Psychologie und
        Verhaltensneurobiologie, Universitaet Tuebingen,
        Gartenstrasse 29, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany
        PUMUE at mailserv.zdv.uni-tuebingen.de

    (2) Institut fuer Experimentelle Audiologie, 
        Universitaet Muenster, Kardinal von Galen-Ring 10, 
        48149 Muenster, Germany

    (3) Universita degli Studi, Padova, Italy


    ABSTRACT: In modern brain theory, cortical cell assemblies are
    assumed to form the basis of higher brain functions such as form
    and word processing. When gestures or words are produced and
    perceived repeatedly by the infant, cell assemblies develop which
    represent these building blocks of cognitive processing. This leads
    to an obvious prediction: cell assembly activation ("ignition")
    should take place upon presentation of items relevant for cognition
    (e.g., words, such as "moon"), whereas no ignition should occur
    with meaningless items (e.g., pseudowords, such as "noom"). Cell
    assembly activity may be reflected by high-frequency brain
    responses, such as synchronous oscillations or rhythmic
    spatiotemporal activity patterns in which large numbers of neurons
    participate. In recent MEG and EEG experiments, differential
    gamma-band responses of the human brain were observed upon
    presentation of words and pseudowords. These findings are
    consistent with the view that fast coherent and rhythmic activation
    of large neuronal assemblies takes place with word but not
    pseudowords.

    KEYWORDS: brain theory, cell assembly, cognition, event related
    potentials (ERP), electroencephalograph (EEG), gamma band, Hebb,
    language, lexical processing, magnetoencephalography (MEG),
    psychophysiology, periodicity, power spectral analysis, synchrony


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