Efficient neuronal communication between brain regions through oscillatory synchronization at certain frequencies is necessary for cognition. Such synchronized networks are transient and dynamic, established on the timescale of milliseconds in order to support ongoing cognitive operations. However, few studies characterizing dynamic electrophysiological brain networks have simultaneously accounted for temporal non-stationarity, spectral structure, and spatial properties. Here, we propose an analysis framework for characterizing the large-scale phase-coupling network dynamics during task performance using magnetoencephalography (MEG). We exploit the high spatiotemporal resolution of MEG to measure time-frequency dynamics of connectivity between parcellated brain regions, yielding data in tensor format. We then use a tensor component analysis (TCA)-based procedure to identify the spatio-temporal-spectral modes of covariation among separate regions in the human brain. We validate our pipeline using MEG data recorded during a hand movement task, extracting a transient motor network with beta-dominant spectral mode, which is significantly modulated by the movement task. Next, we apply the proposed pipeline to explore brain networks that support cognitive operations during a working memory task. The derived results demonstrate the temporal formation and dissolution of multiple phase-coupled networks with specific spectral modes, which are associated with face recognition, vision, and movement. The proposed pipeline can characterize the spectro-temporal dynamics of functional connectivity in the brain on the subsecond timescale, commensurate with that of cognitive performance.

Recent studies show that the dynamics of electrophysiological functional connectivity is attracting more and more interest since it is considered as a better representation of functional brain networks than static network analysis. It is believed that the dynamic electrophysiological brain networks with specific frequency modes, transiently form and dissolve to support ongoing cognitive function during continuous task performance. Here, we propose a novel method based on tensor component analysis (TCA), to characterize the spatial, temporal, and spectral signatures of dynamic electrophysiological brain networks in electroencephalography (EEG) data recorded during free music-listening. A three-way tensor containing time-frequency phase-coupling between pairs of parcellated brain regions is constructed. Nonnegative CANDECOMP/PARAFAC (CP) decomposition is then applied to extract three interconnected, low-dimensional descriptions of data including temporal, spectral, and spatial connection factors. Musical features are also extracted from stimuli using acoustic feature extraction. Correlation analysis is then conducted between temporal courses of musical features and TCA components to examine the modulation of brain patterns. We derive several brain networks with distinct spectral modes (described by TCA components) significantly modulated by musical features, including higher-order cognitive, sensorimotor, and auditory networks. The results demonstrate that brain networks during music listening in EEG are well characterized by TCA components, with spatial patterns of oscillatory phase-synchronization in specific spectral modes. The proposed method provides evidence for the time-frequency dynamics of brain networks during free music listening through TCA, which allows us to better understand the reorganization of electrophysiological networks.

Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain the formation manner for visual working memory (VWM) representations during the consolidation process: an all-or-none process hypothesis and a coarse-to-fine process hypothesis. However, neither the all-or-none process hypothesis nor the coarse-to-fine process hypothesis can stipulate clearly how VWM representations are formed during the consolidation process. In the current study, we propose a two-stage process hypothesis to reconcile these hypotheses. The two-stage process hypothesis suggests that the consolidation of coarse information is an all-or-none process in the early consolidation stage, while the consolidation of detailed information is a coarse-to-fine process in the late consolidation stage. By systematically manipulating the encoding time of memory stimuli, we asked participants to memorize one (Experiment 1) or two (Experiment 2) orientations in different encoding time intervals. We found that the memory rate increased linearly as the encoding time increased. More importantly, VWM precision remained constant when the encoding time was short, while the precision increased linearly as the encoding time increased when the encoding time was sufficient. These results supported the two-stage process hypothesis, which reconciles previous conflicting findings in the literature.

Recently, exploring brain activity based on functional networks during naturalistic stimuli especially music and video represents an attractive challenge because of the low signal-to-noise ratio in collected brain data. Although most efforts focusing on exploring the listening brain have been made through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), sensor-level electro- or magnetoencephalography (EEG/MEG) technique, little is known about how neural rhythms are involved in the brain network activity under naturalistic stimuli. This study exploited cortical oscillations through analysis of ongoing EEG and musical feature during freely listening to music. We used a data-driven method that combined music information retrieval with spatial Fourier Independent Components Analysis (spatial Fourier–ICA) to probe the interplay between the spatial profiles and the spectral patterns of the brain network emerging from music listening. Correlation analysis was performed between time courses of brain networks extracted from EEG data and musical feature time series extracted from music stimuli to derive the musical feature related oscillatory patterns in the listening brain. We found brain networks of musical feature processing were frequency-dependent. Musical feature time series, especially fluctuation centroid and key feature, were associated with an increased beta activation in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus. An increased alpha oscillation in the bilateral occipital cortex emerged during music listening, which was consistent with alpha functional suppression hypothesis in task-irrelevant regions. We also observed an increased delta–beta oscillatory activity in the prefrontal cortex associated with musical feature processing. In addition to these findings, the proposed method seems valuable for characterizing the large-scale frequency-dependent brain activity engaged in musical feature processing.