Gamma oscillatory activity in a visual discrimination task

We tested the hypothesis whether images of real objects elicit stronger gamma (>25 Hz) synchronization, when compared with scrambled objects. The background of this study is a recent debate about the functional meaning of evoked and induced gamma oscillations. Brain electrical source analysis (BESA) and low resolution electromagnetic tomography analysis (LORETA) was performed on the basis of the event-related potential (ERP) data. A component at around 230 ms (termed C230) showed strongest differences between objects and scrambled objects. Time-frequency analyses were run across electrodes and within the dipole sources. We found increased gamma event-related synchronization (ERS) between 200 and 300 ms for real objects. This effect was strongest in a fronto-medial source. Induced gamma, as also shown in previous studies, reflects the more task-relevant mechanism where object representations become activated.