Power shifts track serial position and modulate encoding in human episodic memory.
The first events in a series exert a powerful influence on cognition and behavior in both humans and animals. This is known as the law of primacy. Here, we analyze the neural correlates of primacy in humans by analyzing electrocorticographic recordings in 84 neurosurgical patients as they studied and subsequently recalled lists of common words. We found that spectral power in the gamma frequency band (28-100 Hz) was elevated at the start of the list and gradually subsided, whereas lower frequency (2-8 Hz) delta and theta band power exhibited the opposite trend. This gradual shift in the power spectrum was found across a widespread network of brain regions. The degree to which the subsequent memory effect was modulated by list (serial) position was most pronounced in medial temporal lobe structures. These results suggest that globally increased gamma and decreased delta-theta spectral powers reflect a brain state that predisposes medial temporal lobe structures to enhance the encoding and maintenance of early list items.
['Serruya|Mijail D|MD|', 'Sederberg|Per B|PB|', 'Kahana|Michael J|MJ|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D001921:Brain D001931:Brain Mapping D002648:Child D003700:Delta Rhythm D004567:Electrodes, Implanted D004569:Electroencephalography D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D061212:Memory, Episodic D008875:Middle Aged D009483:Neuropsychological Tests D017397:Prefrontal Cortex D013702:Temporal Lobe D013826:Theta Rhythm D014825:Vocabulary D055815:Young Adult
memory primacy gamma attention electrocorticography