Revealing α oscillatory activity using voltage-sensitive dye imaging in monkey V1

Abstract

The relevance of α oscillations (7-12Hz) in neural processing, although recognized long ago, remains a major research question in the field. While intensively studied in humans, α oscillations appear much less often investigated (and observed) in monkeys. Here we wish to provide data from non-human primates on stimulus-related α rhythm. Indeed, in humans, EEG α is enhanced in response to non-periodic dynamic visual stimulation (“perceptual echoes” or to a static stimulus (“flickering wheel illusion”). Do the same visual patterns induce an oscillatory response in monkey V1? We record voltage-sensitive dye signals from three anesthetized monkeys to investigate the population-based oscillatory neural response that is not resulting from attention-related feedback signals. We revealed α oscillations in monkey V1 which, when they occur, react in a manner comparable to human studies