Higher baseline alpha power is associated with faster responses in visual search.

ABSTRACT: Visual search models have long emphasised that task-relevant items must be prioritized for optimal performance. While it is known that search efficiency also benefits from active distractor inhibition, the underlying neuronal mechanisms are debated. Neuronal alpha oscillations (7-14 Hz) have been associated with functional inhibition of cortical excitability, as well as distractor suppression in spatial attention and visual working memory tasks. We therefore hypothesised that alpha oscillations similarly support the deselection of distractors in visual search. Using Magnetoencephalography (MEG), we here show that high alpha power before the onset of a complex search display is associated with faster search performance. Crucially, we used a General Linear Model (GLM) approach to control for

SUBMITTER: Duecker K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12407961 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature