It is unclear exactly what larger theta ERS is signaling in alcoholics. Prior research shows that theta ERS is associated with working memory and attentional processes (Klimesch 1996; Burgess and Gruzelier 1997; Doppelmayr et al. 2000; Krause et al. 2000; McEvoy et al. 2001; Missonnier et al. 2006; Deiber et al. 2007). The relationship between induced theta ERS and working memory and attention has been mostly studied within the context of n-back tasks. For example, both Krause et al. (2000) and Deiber et al. (2007) showed that sustained induced theta activity tends to increase with increased memory load and/or allocation of attention to task demands. These studies proposed that induced theta activity modulated by task demands likely reflects activity in cortico-hippocampal neural loops involved in task-relevant stimulus identification and retention in working memory in anticipation of further task-related requirements (Klimesch 1996; Newman and Grace 1999; Krause et al. 2000; Deiber et al. 2007).
