QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, April 4, 2007, 27(14):3839-3844; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4636-06.2007

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplemental Data Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (13) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Jacobs, J. Articles by Fried, I. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Jacobs, J. Articles by Fried, I.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Behavioral/Systems/Cognitive
Brain Oscillations Control Timing of Single-Neuron Activity in Humans

Joshua Jacobs,¹ Michael J. Kahana,² Arne D. Ekstrom,³ and Itzhak Fried^4,5

¹Neuroscience Graduate Group and ²Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, ³Center for Cognitive Neurosciences, Semel Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90095, ⁴Division of Neurosurgery and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, and ⁵Functional Neurosurgery Unit, Tel-Aviv Medical Center and Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 69978, Israel

Correspondence should be addressed to either of the following: Dr. Itzhak Fried, Division of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, Email: ifried{at}mednet.ucla.edu; or Dr. Michael J. Kahana, Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104, Email: kahana{at}psych.upenn.edu

A growing body of animal research suggests that neurons represent information not only in terms of their firing rates but also by varying the timing of spikes relative to neuronal oscillations. Although researchers have argued that this temporal coding is critical in human memory and perception, no supporting data from humans have been reported. This study provides the first analysis of the temporal relationship between brain oscillations and single-neuron activity in humans. Recording from 1924 neurons, we find that neuronal activity in various brain regions increases at specific phases of brain oscillations. Neurons in widespread brain regions were phase locked to oscillations in the theta- (4–8 Hz) and gamma- (30– 90 Hz) frequency bands. In hippocampus, phase locking was prevalent in the delta- (1–4 Hz) and gamma-frequency bands. Individual neurons were phase locked to various phases of theta and delta oscillations, but they only were active at the trough of gamma oscillations. These findings provide support for the temporal-coding hypothesis in humans. Specifically, they indicate that theta and delta oscillations facilitate phase coding and that gamma oscillations help to decode combinations of simultaneously active neurons.

Key words: phase locking; theta; gamma; intracranial EEG; navigation; local field potential

---

Received Oct. 25, 2006; revised Jan. 26, 2007; accepted Feb. 20, 2007.

Correspondence should be addressed to either of the following: Dr. Itzhak Fried, Division of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, Email: ifried{at}mednet.ucla.edu; or Dr. Michael J. Kahana, Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 19104, Email: kahana{at}psych.upenn.edu

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Le Van Quyen, A. Bragin, R. Staba, B. Crepon, C. L. Wilson, and J. Engel Jr Cell Type-Specific Firing during Ripple Oscillations in the Hippocampal Formation of Humans J. Neurosci., June 11, 2008; 28(24): 6104 - 6110. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. R. Cornwell, L. L. Johnson, T. Holroyd, F. W. Carver, and C. Grillon Human Hippocampal and Parahippocampal Theta during Goal-Directed Spatial Navigation Predicts Performance on a Virtual Morris Water Maze J. Neurosci., June 4, 2008; 28(23): 5983 - 5990. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. C. Muresan, O. F. Jurjut, V. V. Moca, W. Singer, and D. Nikolic The Oscillation Score: An Efficient Method for Estimating Oscillation Strength in Neuronal Activity J Neurophysiol, March 1, 2008; 99(3): 1333 - 1353. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. J. Senior, J. R. Huxter, K. Allen, J. O'Neill, and J. Csicsvari Gamma Oscillatory Firing Reveals Distinct Populations of Pyramidal Cells in the CA1 Region of the Hippocampus J. Neurosci., February 27, 2008; 28(9): 2274 - 2286. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. A. Allen, B. N. Pasley, T. Duong, and R. D. Freeman Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Elicits Coupled Neural and Hemodynamic Consequences Science, September 28, 2007; 317(5846): 1918 - 1921. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help