Event-Related Spectral EEG Power on Presentation of Pseudowords and Words of the “Animate” and “Inanimate” Categories

• Published in: Neuroscience and behavioral physiology Vol. 44; no. 1; pp. 16 - 23
• Main Authors: Verkhlyutov, V. M., Mar’ina, I. V., Strelets, V. B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Alzheimer's disease; Behavioral Sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Electrodes; Neural networks; Neurobiology; Neurophysiology; Neurosciences; Semantics; Tomography; United States > US; “animate” and “inanimate” word categories; pseudowords; event-related spectral power; EEG
• ISSN: 0097-0549; 1573-899X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11055-013-9866-1

Healthy subjects were presented with images of pseudowords and words of the “animate” and “inanimate” categories. A total of 14 women and nine men, all young, took park in the experiments. Three series of experiments were performed. The first series consisted of passive examination of stimuli; the second series required a button to be pressed on presentation of a word, and the third series required a button to be pressed on presentation of a pseudoword. Presentation of words and pseudowords induced desynchronization of the alpha rhythm and synchronization of the theta rhythm. The early period (50–250 msec) of synchronization was more marked for pseudowords and words of the “animate” category on passive stimulus presentation. The intermediate period (250–800 msec) of synchronization was most marked in the projections of Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas. Stimulus relevance led to increases in desynchronization and reductions in the early and late periods of synchronization after presentation of both words and pseudowords. Words of the “animate” category produced more marked synchronization in the early periods, while words of the “inanimate” category produced more marked synchronization for the intermediate periods of synchronization of the theta rhythm.