Overview
- Researchers identified a top-to-bottom progression of optimal theta phase across retinotopic positions in the frontal eye field.
- Reaction times and detection accuracy shifted with the theta phase at test-array onset and with the target’s vertical position.
- Theta coordinated neural activity: excitatory phases showed suppressed beta (12–20 Hz) and stronger spiking, with the inverse during inhibitory phases.
- The magnitude of the theta-phase effect on behavior increased as working memory load rose.
- The Neuron study used LFP and single-unit recordings in non-human primates performing change detection, and it motivates exploratory closed-loop modulation efforts that are not yet validated.