Oscillatory Dynamics of the Emotional Brain: Links of Emotion to Episodic Memory

Abstract

Previous chapters have shown how one can approach functional correlates of brain oscillations; that the oscillations in alpha, beta, theta, etc., are dependent on the modality of sensory-cognitive events; that, depending both on topology and input modality, the brain response oscillations react with various ensembles of multiple oscillations. Chaps. 6 and 7 explained that a simple light or auditory signal evoke multiple oscillations selectively distributed in various structures of the brain. Further, even a simple light signal requires phyletic memory. Measurements of short-term memory by means of the oddball paradigm showed that the brain can differentiate a diverse range of tasks and electrophysiological recordings provide an efficient tool to detect differences during various states of the working brain. It is clear that the brain can perform a number of more difficult differentiations than those related to simple light or auditory signals. We can differentiate a sea from a mountain landscape; classical music from jazz; a table from a tree. Such percepts are easy to distinguish in comparison with the differentiation of facial expressions. No doubt, the differentiation of a tree from a table is less difficult than that of a smiling face from an angry face. Certainly differentiation of facial expressions is one of the higher cognitive abilities of the brain. Recognition of known and unknown faces is the basic step. However, the task of face recognition also includes the recognition of facial expressions. The next step is gender differences. In the analysis of facial expressions, we also confront another task, or as Mark Solms and Oliver Turnbull (2002) discuss, we include in our analysis the sixth sense, emotions. What, then, could be the highest level of nervous activity of the brain? We assume that intuition, which is not existent in other species, can be considered the highest level of brain functioning. Chap.17 discusses intuition, related to the evolution of species, in which it is assumed that the most developed electrical signal of the brain, namely, alpha activity, can be assigned to intuitive behavior.