Robert Schmidt: Transient oscillations in the basal ganglia and cortex: analysis, computational modelling, and function
| When |
May 07, 2025
from 12:15 PM to 01:00 PM |
|---|---|
| Where | Bernstein Center, Hansastr. 9a, Lecture Hall. |
| Contact Name | Gundel Jaeger |
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Abstract
Neural oscillations are a prominent feature of brain activity and have been studied extensively in relation to cognitive functions and sensorimotor processing. While traditionally examined as sustained rhythms, recent evidence suggests that oscillations are often transient, lasting only a few cycles and occurring intermittently during task performance. Such transient oscillations have been observed in multiple frequency bands, including theta, beta, and gamma, and in both cortical and subcortical brain regions, across a range of cognitive tasks and species.
In this talk, I will discuss several projects addressing the analysis, computational modelling, and functional roles of transient oscillations, focusing on local field potentials in the basal ganglia and EEG recordings from cortical areas. First, I will discuss transient beta oscillations in the rodent basal ganglia, and how computational models can capture their partially stochastic nature. I will then compare this to beta oscillations observed in human EEG during a stop-signal task, where they appear to be associated with transient increases in response thresholds. Finally, I will present ongoing work that critically evaluates methods for detecting transient oscillations using synthetic data, with a particular focus on approaches based on Hidden Markov Models.