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Dynamic Cross-Frequency Coupling Reveals Task Dependent Neural Engagement During Varying Cognitive Demands

Authors :

Seyed Saman Sajadi¹ Babak Fazli² Fateme Karbasi³ Ehsan Garosi⁴ Milad Jalilian⁵ Soheila Hosseinzadeh⁶ Amir Homayoun Jafari⁷ Seyed Abolfazl Zakerian⁸

1- دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران 2- دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران 3- دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران 4- دانشگاه علوم پزشکی ایران 5- دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران 6- دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران 7- دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران 8- دانشگاه علوم پزشکی تهران

Keywords :

Phase-amplitude coupling،cognitive workload،Electroencephalography،theta-gamma،beta-gamma،working memory

Abstract :

Phase-amplitude coupling (PAC), reflecting cross-frequency interactions between neural oscillations, underlies cognitive processing, attention, and working memory. This study examined workload-dependent PAC across prefrontal, frontal, parietal, temporal, motor regions during low-, medium-, and high-load cognitive tasks compared to baseline using Electroencephalography (EEG) of 17 participants. PAC was quantified via comodulograms and regional peak values, focusing on theta-gamma, alpha-gamma, and beta-gamma interactions. Baseline PAC was minimal. Low load tasks elicited significant theta-gamma PAC in prefrontal and frontal regions; medium-load tasks recruited parietal and temporal regions with significant alpha-gamma coupling; high load tasks induced robust, significant multi-frequency PAC across prefrontal, parietal, temporal, and motor regions (peak ~0.8, p < 0.05). These region- and frequency-specific patterns reflect executive control, attention, working memory, and motor planning. The findings demonstrate that PAC is significantly sensitive to cognitive workload and highlight its potential as a potential index of neural engagement during complex tasks.