Event:

Depending on which kind of information needs to be retained in working memory, and dependent on what exact mental transformation this information has to undergo, different working memory sub-processes will be necessary. These sub-processes are supposed to be implemented within different cortical networks. But how are these networks coordinated? How is communication in one reinforced and coupling of another one reduced depending on the task-requirements? Here I will provide a theoretical framework and empirical data arguing that slow brain oscillations in the prefrontal cortex – and specifically their phase to which fast frequency brain activity is locked - allow a simple and efficient mechanism by which fronto-parietal brain networks can be dynamically coupled or desynchronized, and hence, working memory processes can be coordinated. Electroencephalographic and combined EEG and non-invasive brain stimulation data from healthy participants, elderly volunteers and psychiatric patients will be presented.