Alpha-band oscillations, which have a mean frequency of approximately 10 Hz, are dominant in the human brain and are believed to play both inhibitory and active roles in information processing. Wolfgang Klimesch suggests that these oscillations serve two fundamental functions of attention: suppression and selection, which enable controlled access to stored information and semantic orientation. Alpha-band oscillations reflect one of the most basic cognitive processes and are crucial for the coalescence of brain activity across different frequencies. The article discusses the temporal structure of brain function, emphasizing the role of oscillations in organizing cognitive processes. Alpha-band activity is particularly interesting because it responds to stimuli and tasks with either desynchronization (ERD) or synchronization (ERS) of amplitude/power. ERS is considered the 'active' task-relevant response, while ERD reflects release from inhibition. The author argues that ERD reflects release from inhibition, while ERS reflects inhibition. This interpretation is supported by numerous studies showing that task-activated regions exhibit ERD, while task-irrelevant regions exhibit ERS. The inhibitory function of alpha oscillations is further supported by findings that alpha power is larger over visual cortices when attention is focused on auditory stimuli, and over parietal regions when tasks engage the ventral stream. Alpha-band activity is associated with specific types of attention, such as anticipatory and temporal attention. Anticipatory attention, focused on information stored in the knowledge system (KS), elicits a strong task-related increase in theta frequency band activity. Temporal attention, which is crucial for the attentional blink phenomenon, involves phase locking of alpha oscillations at a specific phase angle, which can predict target detection performance. The article also explores the relationship between alpha-band activity and semantic orientation, suggesting that it enables selective access to stored information. Access to the KS can be both event-related and continuous, and is associated with an inhibitory filter reflected in synchronized alpha activity followed by ERD. The author concludes that future research on alpha-band activity could provide new insights into cognitive processes, particularly those related to working memory and the encoding of new information.Alpha-band oscillations, which have a mean frequency of approximately 10 Hz, are dominant in the human brain and are believed to play both inhibitory and active roles in information processing. Wolfgang Klimesch suggests that these oscillations serve two fundamental functions of attention: suppression and selection, which enable controlled access to stored information and semantic orientation. Alpha-band oscillations reflect one of the most basic cognitive processes and are crucial for the coalescence of brain activity across different frequencies. The article discusses the temporal structure of brain function, emphasizing the role of oscillations in organizing cognitive processes. Alpha-band activity is particularly interesting because it responds to stimuli and tasks with either desynchronization (ERD) or synchronization (ERS) of amplitude/power. ERS is considered the 'active' task-relevant response, while ERD reflects release from inhibition. The author argues that ERD reflects release from inhibition, while ERS reflects inhibition. This interpretation is supported by numerous studies showing that task-activated regions exhibit ERD, while task-irrelevant regions exhibit ERS. The inhibitory function of alpha oscillations is further supported by findings that alpha power is larger over visual cortices when attention is focused on auditory stimuli, and over parietal regions when tasks engage the ventral stream. Alpha-band activity is associated with specific types of attention, such as anticipatory and temporal attention. Anticipatory attention, focused on information stored in the knowledge system (KS), elicits a strong task-related increase in theta frequency band activity. Temporal attention, which is crucial for the attentional blink phenomenon, involves phase locking of alpha oscillations at a specific phase angle, which can predict target detection performance. The article also explores the relationship between alpha-band activity and semantic orientation, suggesting that it enables selective access to stored information. Access to the KS can be both event-related and continuous, and is associated with an inhibitory filter reflected in synchronized alpha activity followed by ERD. The author concludes that future research on alpha-band activity could provide new insights into cognitive processes, particularly those related to working memory and the encoding of new information.