Beta frequency shifts in decision making: Spectral fingerprints or communication channels?

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that beta-band activity plays a key role in decision-making. Here we review our recent work in humans and non-human primates showing that beta-band frequency shifts in frontal cortex signal categorical decision outcomes. 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.