Alpha/beta oscillations: hierarchical signature versus feedback mechanism

Determine whether alpha/beta-band oscillations primarily index specific hierarchical levels across cortex or specifically mediate feedback signaling from higher to lower sensory areas.

Background

Empirical studies associate alpha/beta activity with feedback influences, yet other work suggests these rhythms vary across cortical hierarchies, leading to conflicting interpretations.

Resolving whether alpha/beta rhythms are signatures of hierarchical position or dedicated channels for feedback is essential for linking mesoscale dynamics to predictive processing circuitry.

References

In light of the empirical evidence reviewed above, it remains an open question whether alpha/beta oscillations are characteristic for specific hierarchical levels, or whether they play a more specific role in feedback processing.

— Neural mechanisms of predictive processing: a collaborative community experiment through the OpenScope program (2504.09614 - Aizenbud et al., 13 Apr 2025) in Section VII.3 Divergence and convergence between experiments and theories