ReviewThe importance of individual frequencies of endogenous brain oscillations for auditory cognition - A short review

- Resonance frequencies of neural oscillators represent an individual trait.
- Speech processing can be linked to individual resonance frequencies.
- Early auditory memory processes are elemental for speech processing.
- Adjustment of the presentation rate might enhance suboptimal auditory processing.
- Enhanced auditory processing might increase individuals speech intelligibility.

Oscillatory EEG activity in the human brain with frequencies in the gamma range (approx. 30-80 Hz) is known to be relevant for a large number of cognitive processes. Interestingly, each subject reveals an individual frequency of the auditory gamma-band response (GBR) that coincides with the peak in the auditory steady state response (ASSR). A common resonance frequency of auditory cortex seems to underlie both the individual frequency of the GBR and the peak of the ASSR. This review sheds light on the functional role of oscillatory gamma activity for auditory processing. For successful processing, the auditory system has to track changes in auditory input over time and store information about past events in memory which allows the construction of auditory objects. Recent findings support the idea of gamma oscillations being involved in the partitioning of auditory input into discrete samples to facilitate higher order processing. We review experiments that seem to suggest that inter-individual differences in the resonance frequency are behaviorally relevant for gap detection and speech processing. A possible application of these resonance frequencies for brain computer interfaces is illustrated with regard to optimized individual presentation rates for auditory input to correspond with endogenous oscillatory activity.This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Auditory working memory.