The relationship between the temporal structure of magnetoencephalography recorded brain activity and capacity to form discrete auditory representations.

A function of oscillatory brain activity may be to align activity relative to threshold potentials and in doing so provide limited opportunities for representational neuronal assemblies to form. This low-level function could apply across frequency bands and potentially affect the temporal dynamics of experience. To test these possibilities, a magnetoencephalography protocol was developed where capacity to form discrete auditory representations over time was assessed relative to oscillatory brain activity. Three sets of preregistered analyses were conducted. First, the capacity to form representations correlated with the prevalence and durations of activity localised to the auditory cortex. Second, brain oscillations became entrained to stimuli over a broad range of frequencies. Finally, a sequence of gamma (γ) band events predicted successful discrete representation, where previous research had indicated similar individuation-related differences within the alpha (α) range. Together, these findings indicate that a low-level function of cortical oscillations, which may apply across a range of frequency bands, is periodically to set conditions in which representational neuronal assemblies can manifest, limiting and so affecting the flow of experience.