Frontal Midline Theta Reflects Cognitive Control During Planning

ABSTRACT Neural correlates of cognitive planning are not understood well at present. Behavioral paradigms targeting this function are a current challenge in cognitive neuroscience. We recorded EEG activity while subjects were performing a novel behavioral paradigm that evaluates cognitive planning function. Participants showed longer reaction times and decreased accuracy during the planning condition compared to the control condition, suggesting that the planning condition is more time consuming, therefore reflecting higher cognitive demand. Moreover, cognitive planning induced a frontal midline theta (FMθ) frequency band originating in prefrontal cortex (PFC) as shown in previous cognitive control studies. When subjects began planning, there was a progressive and sustained increase in FMθ starting after 500 milliseconds (ms) of planning. Hence, we characterized for first time, both spatial and temporal FMθ dynamics of cognitive planning as a marker of cognitive control function.