Long-distance neural synchrony correlates with processing strategies to compare fractions

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 567; pp. 40 - 44
• Main Authors: Barraza, Paulo, Gómez, David M., Oyarzún, Felipe, Dartnell, Pablo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01-05-2014
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Alpha band; Brain Mapping; Brain Waves; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Cognition; Cortical Synchronization; EEG; Evoked Potentials, Visual; Female; Fraction processing; Gamma band; Humans; Male; Neuronal synchrony; Periodicity; Photic Stimulation; Theta band; Young Adult; Alpha band; Theta band; Gamma band; Neuronal synchrony; Fraction processing; EEG
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.03.021

•Long-distance neural synchrony modulated by fraction processing strategies.•Alpha phase desynchronization induced by componential processing strategy.•Theta and Gamma phase synchronization induced by holistic processing strategy.•Holistic processing strategy evoked right anterior negativity around 400ms.•Early theta phase synchrony correlate with anterior negativity around 400ms.
Adults use different processing strategies to work with fractions. Depending on task requirements, they may analyze the fraction components separately (componential processing strategy, CPS) or consider the fraction as a whole (holistic processing strategy, HPS). It is so far unknown what is the brain coordination dynamics underlying these types of fraction processing strategies. To elucidate this issue, we analyzed oscillatory brain activity during a fraction comparison task, presenting pairs of fractions either with or without common components. Results show that CPS induces a left frontal-parietal alpha phase desynchronization after the onset of fraction pairs, while HPS induces an increase of phase synchrony on theta and gamma bands, over frontal and central-parietal sites, respectively. Additionally, the HPS evokes more negative ERPs around 400ms over the right frontal scalp than the CPS. This ERP activity correlates with the increase of Theta phase synchrony. Our results reveal the emergence of different functional neural networks depending on the kind of cognitive strategy used for processing fractions.