ePoster

BETA FREQUENCY SHIFTS IN DECISION MAKING: SPECTRAL FINGERPRINTS OR COMMUNICATION CHANNELS?

Elie El Rassiand 2 co-authors

Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University

FENS Forum 2026 (2026)

Barcelona, Spain

Board PS05-09AM-676

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Date TBA

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Board: PS05-09AM-676

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Poster Board

PS05-09AM-676

Poster

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Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that beta-band activity plays a key role in decision-making. Across several experiments, we show that beta-band frequency shifts in frontal cortex signal categorical decision outcomes in both humans and non-human primates. We revisit our previous proposal suggesting that content-specific beta reflects the flexible recruiting of transient neural ensembles and update it to emphasize frequency as the relevant parameter. We argue that beta frequency shifts arise from changes in connectivity between weakly coupled oscillators and that, more than a spectral fingerprint, they reflect an active mechanism to (re)-activate behaviorally relevant communication channels in the brain.

Neural ensembles selectively signal categorical decisions via distinct beta-frequency channels. Left: Two overlapping neural ensembles are selective for two different categories A and B. Triangles represent neurons. Center-left: the two neural ensembles have two distinct base beta frequencies. Center-right: Spiking activity of the two neural ensembles is coherent with two different beta frequencies; category information is transmitted downstream via these distinct beta-frequency channels. Vertical lines represent spike trains; waves represent beta rhythms. Right: The two beta rhythms at distinct frequencies provide a readout of the monkey’s categorical decision. Clouds represent categorial decisions.

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