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Cited by 2,101Neural dynamics and brain functionNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchMemory and Neural Mechanisms

The functional role of cross-frequency coupling

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Canolty, Ryan T., Knight, Robert T.·2010·Trends in Cognitive Sciences
DOI 10.1016/j.tics.2010.09.001PMC PMC3359652
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Abstract

Recent studies suggest that cross-frequency coupling (CFC) might play a functional role in neuronal computation, communication and learning. In particular, the strength of phase-amplitude CFC differs across brain areas in a task-relevant manner, changes quickly in response to sensory, motor and cognitive events, and correlates with performance in learning tasks. Importantly, whereas high-frequency brain activity reflects local domains of cortical processing, low-frequency brain rhythms are dynamically entrained across distributed brain regions by both external sensory input and internal cognitive events. CFC might thus serve as a mechanism to transfer information from large-scale brain networks operating at behavioral timescales to the fast, local cortical processing required for effective computation and synaptic modification, thus integrating functional systems across multiple spatiotemporal scales.

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  • Cross-frequency phase coupling could allow for the stabilization of multi-scale dynamics within HPP, with increasing levels of hierarchical depth affording modeling of complex and temporally extended causes.

    “This cross-frequency phase coupling (Canolty and Knight, 2010) could allow for the stabilization of multi-scale dynamics within HPP, with increasing levels of hierarchical depth affording modeling of complex and temporally extended causes (Friston et al., 2017c).”

    From An Integrated World Modeling Theory (IWMT) of Consciousness (2020) · cites this paper as Canolty and Knight, 2010

  • Different oscillations can work in concert.

    “While individual oscillation can be linked to specific cognitive processes, different oscillations can work in concert (Canolty and Knight 2010).”

    From Brain–Heart Interactions Underlying Traditional Tibetan Buddhist Meditation (2019) · cites this paper as Canolty and Knight 2010

  • Meditation practice results in large-scale spatiotemporal brain network reconfigurations, especially in the default mode network and theta and alpha bands.

    “and that its practice results in large-scale spatiotemporal brain network reconfigurations, especially in the default mode network (DMN) (Brewer et al. 2011) and theta and alpha bands (7)”

    From Brain–Heart Interactions Underlying Traditional Tibetan Buddhist Meditation (2019) · cites this paper as [7]

    The citation to this paper is attached to the theta- and alpha-band portion of the sentence; the DMN portion cites Brewer et al. The 'Neuronal oscillations and brain function' section discusses theta and alpha rhythms and their spatial and temporal scales, but does not say that meditation practice reconfigures activity in those bands. Searches for meditation practice and the default mode network found no passage addressing that claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)

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Authors
Canolty, R. T., & Knight, R. T.
Affiliations
University of California, Berkeley (US)
Corresponding author
  • Canolty, Ryan T.
  • Knight, Robert T.
ORCID
Knight, Robert T.
Venue
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2010-11
Volume
14
Issue
11
Pages
506-515
ISSN
1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.tics.2010.09.001
PMC
PMC3359652
OpenAlex
W1978389345
Cited by
2,101
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 194 · 2025: 174 · 2024: 176 · 2023: 122 · 2022: 176 · 2021: 177 · 2020: 153 · 2019: 165 · 2018: 126 · 2017: 122 · 2016: 131 · 2015: 109 · 2014: 95 · 2013: 80 · 2012: 62
FWCI
4.20
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (2r01ns021135-33)
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (P01NS040813, R01 NS-021135)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
cross-frequency coupling, phase-amplitude coupling, neural oscillations, cortical computation, synaptic plasticity, learning, cognitive events, spatial and temporal scales
MeSH terms
Brain Mapping, Cerebral Cortex, Cortical Synchronization, Humans, Mental Processes, Models, Neurological, Nerve Net

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