Multiple repetitions of the same experimental trial are typically associated with fluctuations in behavioural performance in the individual subject. The neural mechanisms underlying this variability remain largely unknown. A number of recent studies identified links between neural oscillations (as measured with MEG/EEG) in different frequency bands and behavioural performance in tasks investigating conscious perception and speeded reaction. I will present new analysis techniques for the investigation of neural oscillations and their interactions in humans and new experimental evidence supporting a functional role of neural oscillations for behavioural performance.

Joachim Gross obtained his PhD at the Institute of Medicine (IME) at the research centre Juelich, Germany and the MPI for Cognitive Neuroscience in Leipzig. His PhD was on linear and nonlinear transformations of neuroelectromagnetic signals. He was PostDoc and research group leader in the Department of Neurology, Duesseldorf before he was appointed Professor of Psychology at Glasgow University and member of the steering group for establishing the new Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging (CCNi). His main research interest is the non-invasive investigation of neural oscillations in humans including development of appropriate analysis methods and experimental paradigms for studying their functional role.