Abstract
Humans effortlessly juggle their internal thoughts, but the neuronal dynamics that support mental manipulation are largely unknown. Leveraging the high spatiotemporal fidelity of intracranial recordings in humans (N = 30), we provide evidence that mental sound manipulation involves the inhibition of sensory cortex and the coordinated engagement of memory and control networks. This modulation manifests in two ways. First, there is a shift in the balance between faster (> 30 Hz) and slower (< 30 Hz) dynamics in primary and secondary auditory areas, suggesting a decrease in local excitability. Second, there is a distributed increase in oscillatory synchrony (6-10 Hz), which predicts imagery vividness and task performance. This evidence points to a key role of local excitability and inter-areal synchrony in the manipulation of thought.