Summary
Event-Related Desynchronization (ERD) and Synchronization (ERS) were studied in 20 normal subjects during a Sternberg-type auditory memory-scanning paradigm. Half of the subjects performed the experiment with vowels and the other half with tones as stimuli. The stimuli consisted of 100 msec long synthesized vowels and 100 msec long tones produced by eight different synthesized instruments. In this paradigm each trial started with the presentation of a visual warning signal, after which a four-stimulus set was presented for memorization whereafter a probe stimulus was presented and identified by the subject as belonging or not belonging to the memorized set. The ERD/ERS of the lower (8–10 Hz) and upper (10–12 Hz) alpha frequency bands differed in their reactivity to stimulus type; the differences between the two frequency bands reached statistical significance only in the case of vowels. The presentation of the memory set elicited ERS which was more pronounced in the 10–12 Hz frequency band and greater for vowels than for tones. On the other hand, the presentation of the probe elicited ERD which was greater for vowels than for tones, especially in the upper alpha frequency band. The results of this exploratory study suggest that ERD is closely related to memory processes and that the ERD/ERS-technique might provide a valuable tool for future reseach encompassing more complex auditory stimulation like speech and music.
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This study was financially supported by the Council for Social Sciences, Academy of Finland (project 7338).
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Krause, C.M., Lang, H., Laine, M. et al. Cortical processing of vowels and tones as measured by event-related desynchronization. Brain Topogr 8, 47–56 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01187669
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01187669