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The role of alpha oscillations (8-13 Hz) in suppressing distractors is extensively debated. One debate concerns whether alpha oscillations suppress anticipated visual distractors through increased power. Whereas some studies suggest that alpha oscillations support distractor suppression, others do not. We identify methodological differences that may explain these discrepancies. A second debate concerns the mechanistic role of alpha oscillations. We and others previously proposed that alpha oscillations implement gain reduction in early visual regions when target load or distractor interference is high. Here, we suggest that parietal alpha oscillations support gating or stabilization of attentional focus and that alpha oscillations in ventral attention network (VAN) support resistance to attention capture. We outline future studies needed to uncover the precise mechanistic role of alpha oscillations., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A recent study in monkeys reports that oscillatory neuronal synchronization between ensembles of prefrontal neurons is involved in rule selection. The study demonstrates that beta-band synchronization (19-40 Hz) reflects the selection of a rule, whereas alpha-band synchronization (6-16 Hz) reflects the active inhibition of a not-to-be-applied rule., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

To survive in a complex world, it is important that unattended, but salient, input can still draw one's attention. In this article, we suggest that posterior alpha oscillations (8-13Hz) provide a mechanism for prioritizing and ordering unattended visual input according to 'relevance'. Gamma oscillations (30-100Hz) that are phase-locked to the alpha oscillations keep competing unattended representations apart in time, thus creating a sequence of perceptual cycles. As inhibition gradually lowers within an alpha cycle, the ordered sequence of competing input is activated, producing a temporal phase code for saliency. The proposed mechanism is based on recent experiments indicating that the phase of alpha activity modulates perception and that alpha oscillations are produced by periodic pulses of inhibition., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)