Resting Cortical Alpha and Beta Oscillations are Continuous Across Space and Frequency
- 1Simon Fraser University
Abstract
Cortical alpha and beta oscillations are traditionally conceptualized as spatially distinct, with alpha rhythms constrained to the occipital cortex and beta rhythms to frontal cortices. Little work has tested this spatial separability empirically and explored whether the distribution of these cortical rhythms may be continuous in space and frequency. Using task-free magnetoencephalography of 604 participants and density-based unsupervised clustering of individual spatio-spectral peaks, we show that the distribution of cortical oscillatory activity across the alpha-to-beta frequency range is structured along a continuous spatio-spectral gradient from occipitotemporal to frontal cortices. Across individuals, the expression of this gradient correlates positively with cognition and decays with age. This work introduces a continuous spatio-spectral organizational structure linking alpha- and beta-band activity across all lobes of the neocortex, with a potential role in flexible segregation and integration of communication between sensorimotor regions of the brain.
Related
- Cortical high frequency oscillations reflect encoding and retrieval of specific word concepts
- High-frequency oscillations reveal progressive recruitment of remote cortex into the epileptic network in a mouse model of focal cortical dysplasia type II
- Parameters for stable Notch-independent Her6 oscillations across a frequency spectrum in neural stem cell populations
- CREST: A Cortical Resting-State EEG Spatial Transformer for Chronic Pain Inference
- Effects of pharmacological modulation of cortical excitability on resting-state EEG PAC in humans
BibTeX
@misc{wilson2026resting,
title = {{Resting Cortical Alpha and Beta Oscillations are Continuous Across Space and Frequency}},
author = {I. S. Wilson and S. I. Flores-Alonso and A. I. Wiesman},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.22.752811},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.22.752811v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Resting Cortical Alpha and Beta Oscillations are Continuous Across Space and Frequency
AU - I. S. Wilson
AU - S. I. Flores-Alonso
AU - A. I. Wiesman
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.22.752811
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.22.752811v1
AB - Cortical alpha and beta oscillations are traditionally conceptualized as spatially distinct, with alpha rhythms constrained to the occipital cortex and beta rhythms to frontal cortices. Little work has tested this spatial separability empirically and explored whether the distribution of these cortical rhythms may be continuous in space and frequency. Using task-free magnetoencephalography of 604 participants and density-based unsupervised clustering of individual spatio-spectral peaks, we show that the distribution of cortical oscillatory activity across the alpha-to-beta frequency range is structured along a continuous spatio-spectral gradient from occipitotemporal to frontal cortices. Across individuals, the expression of this gradient correlates positively with cognition and decays with age. This work introduces a continuous spatio-spectral organizational structure linking alpha- and beta-band activity across all lobes of the neocortex, with a potential role in flexible segregation and integration of communication between sensorimotor regions of the brain.
ER -