We argue that beta frequency shifts arise from changes in connectivity between weakly coupled oscillators and that, more than a spectral fingerprint, they reflect the activation of behaviorally relevant communication channels, allowing for the selective transmission of information.

Beta frequency shifts in decision making: Spectral fingerprints or communication channels? Recent evidence suggests that beta-band activity plays a key role in decision-making. Here we review our recent work in humans and non-human primates showing that beta-band frequency shifts in frontal...

New preprint out! In this opinion paper, we review our recent work showing that frontal beta frequency shifts signal categorical decisions. We propose that the observed frequency modulations emerge from the recruitment of distinct neural ensembles when different (categorical) decisions are made.

Distinct beta frequencies reflect categorical decisions - Nature Communications How the brain achieves context-dependent, flexible categorization remains poorly understood. By looking at neural ensemble formation, this study finds that distinct beta rhythms signal categorical dec...

We replicate our prior macaque findings (www.nature.com/articles/s41...) and extend them to humans, showing that the beta rhythm is a reliable marker of perceptual decisions. Stay tuned for a review covering this line of work!

In EEG & MEG experiments (n = 82), participants made perceptual decisions in three different tasks:
 • Temporal categorization
 • Delayed match-to-sample
 • Cross-modal discrimination
 Across all, a beta frequency shift in the prefrontal cortex predicted the chosen category.

Beta-band frequency shifts signal decisions in human prefrontal cortex Beta-band synchronization has been found to be content-specific, particularly during decision-making. Recently, we showed a beta-band frequency shift in macaque prefrontal cortex to reflect categorica...

Another paper out! New research from our lab explores how beta-band activity signals decisions. We show that subtle shifts in beta-band *frequency* signal categorical decision outcomes — a neural signature that generalizes across tasks and species.
➡️ www.cell.com/iscience/ful...

For each state (of states 1-4), the spatial distribution of power and coherence were estimated for frequencies between 1 and 45 Hz. In each panel, the power map (top left) shows group-averaged power, relative to the mean across states. The coherence network (bottom) shows the top 98% coherence with colored lines, and centers of each parcel with black dots. The PSD graph (top right) shows both the state-specific (colored solid line) and static PSD (i.e., the average across states, black line).

Fluctuations in #AlphaOscillations influence whether we perceive faint stimuli, but how? @joeyzhou.bsky.social @haegenslab.bsky.social &co show that alpha associated with the #visual system modulate sensitivity, while #sensorimotor alpha affects decision criteria @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4ho3ecR

Here we showed that these two mechanisms co-exist in the human brain! While the visual alpha network modulates sensitivity, the sensorimotor alpha network modulates criterion in perceptual decision-making.

Distinct alpha networks modulate different aspects of perceptual decision-making Fluctuations in alpha-band neural oscillations influence whether we perceive faint stimuli, but how these oscillations relate to different perceptual processes is not clear. This study shows that alph...

Check out our latest work led by @joeyzhou.bsky.social on alpha oscillatory networks in PLOS Biology!
➡️ journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...
Do ongoing alpha activity fluctuations influence perceptual sensitivity or criterion?

we are recruiting! looking for a postdoc with great electrophys and data analysis skills for a project in collaboration with @jonescompneurolab.bsky.social and @dralexharris.bsky.social to study the role of beta frequency shifts in decision-making.

Read more in our new paper by @joeyzhou.bsky.social, now on bioRxiv!
And here is our prior work trying to understand the same process: www.jneurosci.org/content/41/4...

Distinct Alpha Networks Modulate Different Aspects of Perceptual Decision-Making Why do we sometimes perceive a faint stimulus but miss it at other times? One explanation is that conscious perception fluctuates with the brains internal state, influencing how external stimuli are p...

Low alpha power boosts faint stimulus detection—but how? 🤔 After much head-scratching, we took a network approach and found that different alpha networks play distinct roles: the visual alpha network tunes perceptual sensitivity, while the sensorimotor alpha network shapes decision criteria. 🧠✨

Postdoctoral Researcher - New York, NY Job Title: Postdoctoral Researcher Grade: 17 Salary: $61,613-$67,000 The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene is seeking a qualified applicant to fill a full-time Postdoctoral Researcher position fo...

this project will involve electrophys experiments, spectral analysis of EEG and LFP data, and @hnnsolver.bsky.social to model beta dynamics. if you are into oscillations and looking for a postdoc position, please be in touch :)
more info at: nyspi.applicantpro.com/jobs/3675337

we are recruiting! looking for a postdoc with great electrophys and data analysis skills for a project in collaboration with @jonescompneurolab.bsky.social and @dralexharris.bsky.social to study the role of beta frequency shifts in decision-making.

In both species, we find that post-interval ERPs are significantly different between stimuli that were classified as “long” or “short” (while objective duration was the same). Together, our results show that common neural mechanisms support time categorization in primates. ⏱️🧠

New paper out! peerj.com/articles/184...
We asked whether neural mechanisms for time estimation are similar in monkeys and humans. We compared ERPs during a temporal bisection task, in which participants had to determine whether the duration of a time interval was longer or shorter than a prototype.