TY - JOUR
T1 - Event-related theta power increases in the human EEG during online sentence processing
AU - Bastiaansen, MCM
AU - van Berkum, J
AU - Hagoort, P.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - By analyzing event-related changes in induced band power in narrow frequency bands of the human electroencephalograph, the present paper explores a possible functional role of the alpha and theta rhythms during the processing of words and of sentences. The results show a phasic power increase in the theta frequency range, together with a phasic power decrease in the alpha frequency range, following the presentation of words in a sentence. These effects may be related to word processing, either lexical or in relation to sentence context. Most importantly, there is a slow and highly frequency-specific increase in theta power as a sentence unfolds, possibly related to the formation of an episodic memory trace, or to incremental verbal working memory load.
AB - By analyzing event-related changes in induced band power in narrow frequency bands of the human electroencephalograph, the present paper explores a possible functional role of the alpha and theta rhythms during the processing of words and of sentences. The results show a phasic power increase in the theta frequency range, together with a phasic power decrease in the alpha frequency range, following the presentation of words in a sentence. These effects may be related to word processing, either lexical or in relation to sentence context. Most importantly, there is a slow and highly frequency-specific increase in theta power as a sentence unfolds, possibly related to the formation of an episodic memory trace, or to incremental verbal working memory load.
U2 - 10.1016/S0304-3940(01)02535-6
DO - 10.1016/S0304-3940(01)02535-6
M3 - Article
SN - 0304-3940
VL - 323
SP - 13
EP - 16
JO - Neuroscience Letters
JF - Neuroscience Letters
IS - 1
ER -