Thalamic theta phase alignment predicts human memory formation and anterior thalamic cross-frequency coupling
Figures
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Significance of the difference between poststimulus phase alignment during successful compared with unsuccessful encoding using T-tests.
(A) Frontal. (B) Left anterior thalamic nucleus (ATN). (C) Right ATN (RATN). At 0.9–1.1 s poststimulus, theta phase alignment was significantly greater during successful compared with unsuccessful encoding (T = 8.50, p = 0.00015). The difference was significant on cluster-size permutation testing (p = 0.048). (D) Left dorsomedial thalamic nucleus (DMTN). (E) Right DMTN.
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Group difference between phase alignment levels during successful vs unsuccessful encoding in the RATN.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07578.003![](https://iiif.elifesciences.org/lax/07578%2Felife-07578-fig1-figsupp2-v2.tif/full/617,/0/default.jpg)
Mean RATN theta phase alignment 1 s poststimulus was greater following successful than unsuccessful encoding in each individual participant.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.07578.004![](https://iiif.elifesciences.org/lax/07578%2Felife-07578-fig2-v2.tif/full/617,/0/default.jpg)
Significance of correlation between theta (4–8 Hz) phase alignment and theta-gamma cross-frequency coupling (CFC) within the RATN.
(A, B) Early poststimulus (0–0.5 s) frontal phase alignment: (A) Successful encoding (SE): significant correlation (r = 0.84, p = 0.019). (B) Unsuccessful encoding (UE): no significant correlation. (C, D) Early poststimulus RATN phase alignment: (C) SE: no significant correlation. (D) UE: no significant correlation. (E, F) Late poststimulus (0.9–1.1 s) frontal phase alignment: (E) SE: no significant correlation. (F) UE: no significant correlation. (G, H) Late poststimulus RATN phase alignment: (G) SE: significant correlation (r = 0.78, p = 0.039). (H) UE: no significant correlation.
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Early poststimulus activity in the RATN.
Top: Broadband alpha/theta phase alignment early poststimulus during successful encoding (SE). A similar finding during unsuccessful encoding (UE) suggests that this is a task-related phenomenon not specific to successful memory formation. Bottom: Event-related potentials (ERPs). blue = during SE. red = during UE.
![](https://iiif.elifesciences.org/lax/07578%2Felife-07578-fig3-figsupp1-v2.tif/full/617,/0/default.jpg)
Event-related potentials (ERPs).
(A) Frontal cortex. (B) Left ATN. (C) Left dorsomedial thalamic nucleus. (D) Right dorsomedial thalamic nucleus. blue = during successful encoding. red = during unsuccessful encoding.
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Summary of correlations between frontal and RATN theta (θ) phase alignment and within-RATN theta-gamma CFC.
Green: significant correlation.