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The theta rhythm as a neural signature of early learning processes

Fri, April 9, 11:35am to 1:05pm EDT (11:35am to 1:05pm EDT), Virtual

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

While the theta rhythm (3 – 8 Hz) has long been associated with neural learning processes in human adults (e.g., Klimesch, 1999), only recently there has been an accumulation of evidence that the theta rhythm may likewise play a critical role in learning processes in the developing brain of infants and young children (e.g., Begus et al., 2014; Braithwaite et al., 2020; Jones et al., 2020; Köster et al., 2019; Meyer et al., 2019). The present symposium brings together the most recent research in the field, which further explore the functional involvement of the theta rhythm in early brain development.
Study 1 explores the principle role of the theta rhythm and theta-gamma coupling processes in building basic object representations in the infant brain (at 7 months). Study 2 uses violation-of-expectation paradigms to explore the role of the ongoing and the entrained theta rhythm in the processing of novel, unexpected events (at 9 months). Study 3 explores the predictive value of the theta rhythm towards novel events, as a marker for learning capacities (at 10 months), for later cognitive development (at 36 months). Finally, study 4 explores how different learning contexts modulate the theta rhythm and later learning outcomes in infants (at 14 months) and young children (at 48 months).
Taken together, these findings substantiate the involvement of the theta rhythm in early learning processes and critically add to our understanding of processes reflected in the theta rhythm as key learning mechanism in the developing human brain.

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