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Research Article

Coherent delta-band oscillations between cortical areas correlate with decision making

Verónica Nácher, Anders Ledberg, Gustavo Deco, and Ranulfo Romo
  1. aInstituto de Fisiología Celular-Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Mexico D.F., Mexico;
  2. bCenter of Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08018 Barcelona, Spain;
  3. cInstitució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluís Companys, 2308010 Barcelona, Spain; and
  4. dEl Colegio Nacional, 06020 Mexico D.F., Mexico

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PNAS first published August 26, 2013; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1314681110
Verónica Nácher
aInstituto de Fisiología Celular-Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Mexico D.F., Mexico;
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Anders Ledberg
bCenter of Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08018 Barcelona, Spain;
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Gustavo Deco
bCenter of Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communication Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08018 Barcelona, Spain;
cInstitució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluís Companys, 2308010 Barcelona, Spain; and
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Ranulfo Romo
aInstituto de Fisiología Celular-Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Mexico D.F., Mexico;
dEl Colegio Nacional, 06020 Mexico D.F., Mexico
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  • For correspondence: rromo@ifc.unam.mx
  1. Contributed by Ranulfo Romo, August 5, 2013 (sent for review July 4, 2013)

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Significance

Delta oscillations have been largely associated with slow-wave sleep and anesthesia, when no conscious functions take place during these states. However, our study demonstrates that coherent delta-band oscillations reflect the linkage between distant parietal and frontal cortical circuits during decision making. Thus, these findings open an avenue for investigating whether the activity between distant cortical circuits oscillates in the delta frequency range during other cognitive functions.

Abstract

Coherent oscillations in the theta-to-gamma frequency range have been proposed as a mechanism that coordinates neural activity in large-scale cortical networks in sensory, motor, and cognitive tasks. Whether this mechanism also involves coherent oscillations at delta frequencies (1–4 Hz) is not known. Rather, delta oscillations have been associated with slow-wave sleep. Here, we show coherent oscillations in the delta frequency band between parietal and frontal cortices during the decision-making component of a somatosensory discrimination task. Importantly, the magnitude of this delta-band coherence is modulated by the different decision alternatives. Furthermore, during control conditions not requiring decision making, delta-band coherences are typically much reduced. Our work indicates an important role for synchronous activity in the delta frequency band when large-scale, distant cortical networks coordinate their neural activity during decision making.

  • synchrony
  • low-frequency rhythm
  • brain circuits

Footnotes

  • ↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: rromo{at}ifc.unam.mx.
  • Author contributions: R.R. designed research; V.N. and R.R. performed research; V.N. and A.L. analyzed data; and V.N., A.L., G.D., and R.R. wrote the paper.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1314681110/-/DCSupplemental.

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Delta-band oscillations between cortical areas
Verónica Nácher, Anders Ledberg, Gustavo Deco, Ranulfo Romo
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Aug 2013, 201314681; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1314681110

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Delta-band oscillations between cortical areas
Verónica Nácher, Anders Ledberg, Gustavo Deco, Ranulfo Romo
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Aug 2013, 201314681; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1314681110
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