TY - JOUR TI - Decoding hierarchical control of sequential behavior in oscillatory EEG activity AU - Kikumoto, Atsushi AU - Mayr, Ulrich A2 - Badre, David A2 - Frank, Michael J A2 - Cavanagh, James VL - 7 PY - 2018 DA - 2018/11/14 SP - e38550 C1 - eLife 2018;7:e38550 DO - 10.7554/eLife.38550 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.38550 AB - Despite strong theoretical reasons for assuming that abstract representations organize complex action sequences in terms of subplans (chunks) and sequential positions, we lack methods to directly track such content-independent, hierarchical representations in humans. We applied time-resolved, multivariate decoding analysis to the pattern of rhythmic EEG activity that was registered while participants planned and executed individual elements from pre-learned, structured sequences. Across three experiments, the theta and alpha-band activity coded basic elements and abstract control representations, in particular, the ordinal position of basic elements, but also the identity and position of chunks. Further, a robust representation of higher level, chunk identity information was only found in individuals with above-median working memory capacity, potentially providing a neural-level explanation for working-memory differences in sequential performance. Our results suggest that by decoding oscillatory activity we can track how the cognitive system traverses through the states of a hierarchical control structure. KW - serial-order control KW - hierarchical control KW - EEG-oscillations JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -