Glossary
Gamma waves
What are Gamma waves?
Gamma waves are relatively fast neural oscillations, often described as roughly 30–100 Hz or higher. Gamma activity has been studied in relation to perception, attention, and working memory, but frequency boundaries and functions vary.
How it works
Gamma rhythms can arise from interactions between excitation and inhibition in local circuits. Proposed functions include coordinating inputs and communication between neuronal populations. A rise in gamma-band power is not necessarily evidence of a sustained gamma oscillation.
Applied example
A visual experiment might compare gamma activity while a participant attends to different stimuli. Such a result would test an association with attention; it would not show that gamma synchrony alone creates recognition or consciousness.
Why it matters
Gamma oscillations give researchers a way to study how groups of neurons coordinate their activity. One proposed role is helping the brain integrate separately processed information, such as the color and shape of an object. That hypothesis is still under investigation; it does not settle how consciousness works.