What does gamma coherence tell us about inter-regional neural communication?

Neural oscillations have been measured and interpreted in multitudinous ways, with a variety of hypothesized functions in physiology, information processing and cognition. Much attention has been paid in recent years to gamma-band (30-100 Hz) oscillations and synchrony, with an increasing interest in 'high gamma' (>100 Hz) signals as mesoscopic measures of inter-regional communication. The biophysical origins of the measured variables are often difficult to precisely identify, however, making their interpretation fraught with pitfalls. Here we discuss how measurements of inter-regional gamma coherence can be prone to misinterpretation and suggest strategies for deciphering the roles that synchronized oscillations across brain networks may play in neural function.