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It is commonly agreed that power modulations in alpha oscillatory activity serve as an inhibitory neural mechanism, selectively routing information within neural circuits. In visuo-spatial attention, alpha oscillations enhance the processing of relevant targets and suppress potential distractors. However, there are inconsistencies regarding alpha power modulations with increasing load in common working memory (WM) tasks. Particularly, high WM load is associated with either decreased or increased alpha power, depending on the type of WM task deployed (i.e., N-back vs. Sternberg task). Next to existing cognitive interpretations of this variation of alpha power with load, recent considerations suggest the involvement of oculomotor action as a complementary explanation. In the present report we attempt to test this complementary view. We will conduct a large-scale combined electroencephalography and eye tracking study with 120 participants to examine the relationship between alpha power modulation and oculomotor action in the context of an N-back task and a Sternberg task. We aim to explore whether different gaze patterns during these tasks offer explanatory value in addressing the variations in alpha power with WM load. To this end, statistical tests on scalp-level power for the alpha band (8-14 Hz) and gaze deviation metrics will be conducted.
Hansen et al. (Mon,) studied this question.