Alpha band phase coupling has also been related to inhibitory process in the context of WM. Overall alpha band connectivity (wPLI) was found to be stronger during the retention period of a variant of Sternberg task compared to baseline (Wianda and Ross, 2019). The most prominent connections involved occipital, frontal, and mid-brain sources. Long-range connectivity was observed between visual cortices and the retrosplenial cingulate cortex and thalamic sources. Furthermore, pre-frontal cortices were connected to midbrain sources and temporal cortices. The authors proposed that alpha coupling between frontotemporal and occipital areas is involved in inhibiting distractors. This interpretation is in accordance with some results reported in attention studies (see Working Memory) highlighting the close relationship between WM and attention.
