HIPPOCAMPAL-THETA - A SENSORY-INHIBITION THEORY OF FUNCTION

The most prominent electrical signal which cen be recorded from the hi ppocampus is called theta rhythm. Over the past 30 years there have be en numerous attempts to relate this waveform to behavior. Theta has be en associated with arousal, learning memory. attention, and most recen tly motor movement. While the relationship between one type of theta a nd certain kinds of movement is well established, a second type of the ta shows no such relationship. In the present paper it is argued that the most parsimonious hypothesis relating theta to behavior is not the motor programming theory but a sensory-inhibition model. In this mode l theta is regarded as representative of general inhibition of systems not being used during motor behavior or alert immobility. (C) 1998 El sevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.