Tracking Transient Changes in the Neural Frequency Architecture: Harmonic Relationships between Theta and Alpha Peaks Facilitate Cognitive Performance

Neural activity is known to oscillate within discrete frequency bands and the interplay between these brain rhythms is hypothesized to underlie cognitive functions. A recent theory posits that shifts in the peak frequencies of oscillatory rhythms form the principal mechanism by which cross-frequency coupling and decoupling is implemented in the brain. In line with this notion, we show that the occurrence of a cross-frequency arrangement that mathematically enables coupling between alpha and theta rhythms is more prominent during active cognitive processing (compared with rest and non-cognitively demanding tasks) and is associated with improved cognitive performance. Together, our results open new vistas for future research on cross-frequency dynamics in the brain and their functional role in cognitive processing.