Gamma-Range Auditory Steady-State Responses and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review

The auditory steady-state response (ASSR) is a result of entrainment of the brain’s oscillatory activity to the frequency and phase of temporally modulated stimuli. Gamma-range ASSRs are utilized to observe the dysfunctions of brain-synchronization abilities in neuropsychiatric and developmental disorders with cognitive symptoms. However, the link between gamma-range ASSRs and cognitive functioning is not clear. We systematically reviewed existing findings on the associations between gamma-range ASSRs and cognitive functions in patients with neuropsychiatric or developmental disorders and healthy subjects. The literature search yielded 1597 articles. After excluding duplicates and assessing eligibility, 22 articles were included. In healthy participants, the gamma-range ASSR was related to cognitive flexibility and reasoning as measured by complex tasks and behavioral indicators of processing speed. In patients with schizophrenia, the studies that reported correlations found a higher ASSR to be accompanied by better performance on short-term memory tasks, long-term/semantic memory, and simple speeded tasks. The main findings indicate that individual differences in the gamma-range ASSR reflect the level of attentional control and the ability to temporary store and manipulate the information, which are necessary for a wide range of complex cognitive activities, including language, in both healthy and impaired populations.