Prediction of behavioral performance by alpha-band phase synchronization in working memory

• Published in: Physiology & behavior Vol. 284; p. 114630
• Main Authors: Norouzi, Hamideh, Daliri, Mohammad Reza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.10.2024
• Subjects: Alpha; cognition; Functional connectivity; memory; Memory-guided saccade; Phase locking value; physiology; prediction; spatial data; Working memory; Functional connectivity; Alpha; Memory-guided saccade; Working memory; Phase locking value; Working Memory; Phase Locking Value; Functional Connectivity; Memory-Guided Saccade
• ISSN: 0031-9384; 1873-507X; 1873-507X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114630

•In working memory-guided saccade, PLV as a measure of functional connectivity in the alpha frequency band is correlated with saccade error (behavioral performance).•In memory duration, PLV between the frontal and parietal areas and PLV among visual regions predict saccade error.•PLV in memory maintenance interval significantly differed for near and far conditions. Working memory (WM) is a cognitive system with limited capacity that can temporarily store and process information. The purpose of this study was to investigate functional connectivity based on phase synchronization during WM and its relationship with the behavioral response. In this regard, we recorded EEG/Eye tracking data of seventeen healthy subjects while performing a memory-guided saccade (MGS) task with two different positions (near eccentricity and far eccentricity). We computed saccade error as memory performance and measured functional connectivity using Phase Locking Value (PLV) in the alpha frequency band (8–12 Hz). The results showed that PLV is negatively correlated with saccade error. Our finding indicated that during the maintenance period, PLV between the frontal and visual area in trials with low saccade error increased significantly compared to trials with high saccade error. Furthermore, we observed a significant difference between PLV for near and far conditions in the delay period. The results suggest that PLV in memory maintenance, in addition to predicting saccade error as behavioral performance, can be related to the coding of spatial information in WM.