Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Open access
Peer reviewed
Abstract
Abstract
How does internal representation held in visual working memory (VWM), known as the attentional template, guide attention? A longstanding debate concerns whether only one (Single-Item-Template theory) or multiple (Multiple-Item-Template theory) items serve as attentional templates simultaneously. Here we propose a Rhythmic-Item-Template hypothesis, successfully reconciling these seemingly contradictory theories. Using the classical VWM-guided attention task, we found that two VWM items alternately dominate behavioral guidance in theta-rhythmic (4–8 Hz), with anti-correlated activation states in time, and more importantly, this rhythmic oscillation was not driven by the retro-cue processing. Neural recordings revealed that occipital alpha-oscillation (8–14 Hz) governed item-specific prioritization and its amplitude closely tracked subjects’ behavioral guidance, while frontal theta-oscillations phase-led and coupled with occipital alpha-oscillations during the item transition. Our Rhythmic-Item-Template results not only resolve previous Single-Item-Template versus Multiple-Item-Template debate but also advance our understanding of how distributed brain rhythms coordinate flexible resource allocation in multi-item memory systems.
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@article{scollr2026Visual,
title = {Visual Working Memory Guides Attention Rhythmically},
journal = {eLife},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.7554/elife.108017.3},
url = {https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.108017.3}
}FAQ
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