Transient induced gamma-band response in EEG as a manifestation of miniature saccades.

Yuval-Greenberg S, Tomer O, Keren AS, Nelken I, Deouell LY

Neuron. 2008 May 8; 58(3): 429-41.


Abstract

The induced gamma-band EEG response (iGBR) recorded on the scalp is widely assumed to reflect synchronous neural oscillation associated with object representation, attention, memory, and consciousness. The most commonly reported EEG iGBR is a broadband transient increase in power at the gamma range approximately 200-300 ms following stimulus onset. A conspicuous feature of this iGBR is the trial-to-trial poststimulus latency variability, which has been insufficiently addressed. Here, we show, using single-trial analysis of concomitant EEG and eye tracking, that this iGBR is tightly time locked to the onset of involuntary miniature eye movements and reflects a saccadic "spike potential." The time course of the iGBR is related to an increase in the rate of saccades following a period of poststimulus saccadic inhibition. Thus, whereas neuronal gamma-band oscillations were shown conclusively with other methods, the broadband transient iGBR recorded by scalp EEG reflects properties of miniature saccade dynamics rather than neuronal oscillations.

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  • Zoltan Nadasdy (Caltech) to spikes and waves

    While the authors present compelling arguments to support that iGBR is an artifact of microsaccades, the role of microsaccades in visual information processing, especially their possible functional relationship with intrinsic neuronal oscillations remain to be elusive. Although the main result is extremely important and clears the mist around the "cognitive-gamma", the most interesting aspect is whether microsaccades contribute to information sampling or not, and whether this sampling is aligned to any neuronal oscillations or not. The study is eye opening but cries for a systematic investigation of microsaccades. For example, an analysis of microsaccades in response to a diverse set of visual stimuli, applying spectral analysis and c ... read more

    June 5, 2008
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  • Naotsugu Tsuchiya (Caltech) to Shimojo Lab Journal Club

    This paper quite convincingly shows that the induced gamma band response recorded from scalp-EEG is an artifact of microscaades. I highly recommend this paper to everybody who has read, cited, or published (!) any papers reporting gamma band response using scalp-EEG. This paper is likely to be a must read in this research domain in the near future. The paper is very clearly written. I also recommend to read Pascal Fries' commentary in the same issue ("Finding Gamma" Pascal Fries,1,2,∗ René Scheeringa,1 and Robert Oostenveld1) and the replies from the people who published many papers reporting gamma band response with scalp-EEG (http://www.neuron.org/content/article/comments?uid=PIIS0896627308003012).

    June 1, 2008
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  • Naotsugu Tsuchiya (Caltech) to spikes and waves

    This paper quite convincingly shows that the induced gamma band response recorded from scalp-EEG is an artifact of microscaades. I highly recommend this paper to everybody who has read, cited, or published (!) any papers reporting gamma band response using scalp-EEG. This paper is likely to be a must read in this research domain in the near future. The paper is very clearly written. I also recommend to read Pascal Fries' commentary in the same issue ("Finding Gamma" Pascal Fries,1,2,∗ René Scheeringa,1 and Robert Oostenveld1) and the replies from the people who published many papers reporting gamma band response with scalp-EEG (http://www.neuron.org/content/article/comments?uid=PIIS0896627308003012).

    June 1, 2008
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  • Naotsugu Tsuchiya (Caltech) to Neuronal basis of Consciousness

    This paper quite convincingly shows that the induced gamma band response recorded from scalp-EEG is an artifact of microscaades. I highly recommend this paper to everybody who has read, cited, or published (!) any papers reporting gamma band response using scalp-EEG. This paper is likely to be a must read in this research domain in the near future. The paper is very clearly written. I also recommend to read Pascal Fries' commentary in the same issue ("Finding Gamma" Pascal Fries,1,2,∗ René Scheeringa,1 and Robert Oostenveld1) and the replies from the people who published many papers reporting gamma band response with scalp-EEG (http://www.neuron.org/content/article/comments?uid=PIIS0896627308003012).

    June 1, 2008
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