Neural Dynamics Supporting Flexible Cognition

Meredith McCarty (Advisor: Nitin Tandon, MBBS)

          Flexible cognition enables humans to adapt their behavior to changing circumstances by prioritizing relevant information and filtering out distractions. This process is thought to be supported by the integration of ongoing behavioral goals with incoming sensory information, but how this integration is realized in the human brain remains unclear. It is unknown how high-order sensory cortices can balance specialized processing with flexible integration of changing behavioral goals. In the following investigations, we use intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings in humans to study the neural dynamics of flexible cognition during high-order sensory processing. First, we validated assumptions about the locality of iEEG signals and clarified how electrode type, referencing scheme, and filtered frequency influence electrode listening zone. Next, we applied these methods, in combination with cortical stimulation mapping, to reveal a mosaic of broadband gamma activation (BGA) for music and language within the superior temporal gyrus. Finally, we examined local and inter-areal directed communication to characterize frontoparietal and fusiform network dynamics underlying flexible attention to visual objects. By studying how BGA indexes flexible cognition for auditory and visual stimuli, we provide novel insight into how integrative dynamics within high-order sensory and broader attentional networks support adaptive, goal-directed behavior.

Advisory Committee:

• Nitin Tandon, MBBS, Chair
• Michael Beierlein, PhD
• Valentin Dragoi,PhD
• Simon Fischer-Baum, PhD
• Xaq Pitkow, PhD

Join via Zoom (Please contact Ms. McCarty for her Zoom meeting info.)