Synchronization of neural activity in the gamma range (30-80 Hz) is thought to be a mechanism for integrating sensory information across different modalities and cortical areas, thereby creating a coherent cortical representation of complex external sensory stimuli (Basar et al., 2000; Engel et al., 2001; Singer, 1999). The coordination of sensory gamma oscillations has been shown to contribute to sensory registration and perceptual processes (Clementz et al., 1997; Hong et al., 2004a), as well as higher order cognitive operations such as attention and expectation (Basar-Eroglu and Basar, 1991; Debener et al., 2003; Gurtubay et al., 2004; Gurtubay et al., 2001; Tallon-Baudry et al., 1997; Tiitinen et al., 1993). It has been hypothesized that the widespread cognitive deficits consistently observed in schizophrenia may be attributable to core abnormalities in the timing, synchronization, and efficiency of neuro-oscillatory activity, particularly in the gamma band, that subserves the binding and integration of information processed across different brain regions (see Uhlhaas and Singer, 2010).
