The Role of Alpha Power in the Suppression of Anticipated Distractors During Verbal Working Memory
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ORIGINAL PAPER
The Role of Alpha Power in the Suppression of Anticipated Distractors During Verbal Working Memory Sabrina Sghirripa1,2,3 · Lynton Graetz1,3 · Ashley Merkin1,3 · Nigel C Rogasch3,4,5 · Michael C Ridding6 · John G Semmler2 · Mitchell R Goldsworthy1,2,3,4 Received: 26 July 2020 / Accepted: 12 November 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract As working memory (WM) is limited in capacity, it is important to direct neural resources towards processing task-relevant information while ignoring distractors. Neural oscillations in the alpha frequency band (8–12 Hz) have been suggested to play a role in the inhibition of task-irrelevant information during WM, although results are mixed, possibly due to differences in the type of WM task employed. Here, we examined the role of alpha power in suppression of anticipated distractors of varying strength using a modified Sternberg task where the encoding and retention periods were temporally separated. We recorded EEG while 20 young adults completed the task and found: (1) slower reaction times in strong distractor trials compared to weak distractor trials; (2) increased alpha power in posterior regions from baseline prior to presentation of a distractor regardless of condition; and (3) no differences in alpha power between strong and weak distractor conditions. Our results suggest that parieto-occipital alpha power is increased prior to a distractor. However, we could not find evidence that alpha power is further modulated by distractor strength. Keywords EEG · Alpha oscillations · Working memory · Distractor suppression
Introduction Handling Editor: Micah M. Murray. Electronic Supplementary Material The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s1054 8-020-00810-4. * Sabrina Sghirripa [email protected] 1
Lifespan Human Neurophysiology, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
2
Discipline of Physiology, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
3
Lifelong Health, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
4
Discipline of Psychiatry, Adelaide Medical School, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
5
Brain, Mind and Society Research Hub, School of Psychological Sciences, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health and Monash Biomedical Imaging, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
6
Innovation, IMPlementation and Clinical Translation in Health (IIMPACT in Health), Allied Health and Human Performance Academic Unit, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Verbal working memory (WM) refers to the ability to temporarily maintain and/or manipulate verbal information to guide immediate cognitive processing (Baddeley 1992). WM consists of three stages: encoding, which involves the ‘loading’ of information into WM, which is then stored and refreshed throughout a retention per
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