1
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Davidson MJ, Verstraten FAJ, Alais D. Walking modulates visual detection performance according to stride cycle phase. Nat Commun 2024; 15:2027. [PMID: 38453900 PMCID: PMC10920920 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45780-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Walking is among our most frequent and natural of voluntary behaviours, yet the consequences of locomotion upon perceptual and cognitive function remain largely unknown. Recent work has highlighted that although walking feels smooth and continuous, critical phases exist within each step for the successful coordination of perceptual and motor function. Here, we test whether these phasic demands impact upon visual perception, by assessing performance in a visual detection task during natural unencumbered walking. We finely sample visual performance over the stride cycle as participants walk along a smooth linear path at a comfortable speed in a wireless virtual reality environment. At the group-level, accuracy, reaction times, and response likelihood show strong oscillations, modulating at approximately 2 cycles per stride (~2 Hz) with a marked phase of optimal performance aligned with the swing phase of each step. At the participant level, Bayesian inference of population prevalence reveals highly prevalent oscillations in visual detection performance that cluster in two idiosyncratic frequency ranges (2 or 4 cycles per stride), with a strong phase alignment across participants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David Alais
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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2
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Zoefel B, Kösem A. Neural tracking of continuous acoustics: properties, speech-specificity and open questions. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:394-414. [PMID: 38151889 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
Human speech is a particularly relevant acoustic stimulus for our species, due to its role of information transmission during communication. Speech is inherently a dynamic signal, and a recent line of research focused on neural activity following the temporal structure of speech. We review findings that characterise neural dynamics in the processing of continuous acoustics and that allow us to compare these dynamics with temporal aspects in human speech. We highlight properties and constraints that both neural and speech dynamics have, suggesting that auditory neural systems are optimised to process human speech. We then discuss the speech-specificity of neural dynamics and their potential mechanistic origins and summarise open questions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Zoefel
- Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition (CerCo), CNRS UMR 5549, Toulouse, France
- Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Anne Kösem
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), INSERM U1028, Bron, France
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3
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L'Hermite S, Zoefel B. Rhythmic Entrainment Echoes in Auditory Perception. J Neurosci 2023; 43:6667-6678. [PMID: 37604689 PMCID: PMC10538584 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0051-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhythmic entrainment echoes-rhythmic brain responses that outlast rhythmic stimulation-can demonstrate endogenous neural oscillations entrained by the stimulus rhythm. Here, we tested for such echoes in auditory perception. Participants detected a pure tone target, presented at a variable delay after another pure tone that was rhythmically modulated in amplitude. In four experiments involving 154 human (female and male) participants, we tested (1) which stimulus rate produces the strongest entrainment echo and, inspired by the tonotopical organization of the auditory system and findings in nonhuman primates, (2) whether these are organized according to sound frequency. We found the strongest entrainment echoes after 6 and 8 Hz stimulation, respectively. The best moments for target detection (in phase or antiphase with the preceding rhythm) depended on whether sound frequencies of entraining and target stimuli matched, which is in line with a tonotopical organization. However, for the same experimental condition, best moments were not always consistent across experiments. We provide a speculative explanation for these differences that relies on the notion that neural entrainment and repetition-related adaptation might exercise competing opposite influences on perception. Together, we find rhythmic echoes in auditory perception that seem more complex than those predicted from initial theories of neural entrainment.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Rhythmic entrainment echoes are rhythmic brain responses that are produced by a rhythmic stimulus and persist after its offset. These echoes play an important role for the identification of endogenous brain oscillations, entrained by rhythmic stimulation, and give us insights into whether and how participants predict the timing of events. In four independent experiments involving >150 participants, we examined entrainment echoes in auditory perception. We found that entrainment echoes have a preferred rate (between 6 and 8 Hz) and seem to follow the tonotopic organization of the auditory system. Although speculative, we also found evidence that several, potentially competing processes might interact to produce such echoes, a notion that might need to be considered for future experimental design.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Benedikt Zoefel
- Université de Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier, 31062 Toulouse, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre de Recherche Cerveau et Cognition, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Purpan, 31052 Toulouse, France
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4
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Mentzelopoulos G, Driscoll N, Shankar S, Kim B, Rich R, Fernandez-Nunez G, Stoll H, Erickson B, Medaglia JD, Vitale F. Alerting attention is sufficient to induce a phase-dependent behavior that can be predicted by frontal EEG. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1176865. [PMID: 37292166 PMCID: PMC10246752 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1176865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that attention is rhythmic. Whether that rhythmicity can be explained by the phase of ongoing neural oscillations, however, is still debated. We contemplate that a step toward untangling the relationship between attention and phase stems from employing simple behavioral tasks that isolate attention from other cognitive functions (perception/decision-making) and by localized monitoring of neural activity with high spatiotemporal resolution over the brain regions associated with the attentional network. In this study, we investigated whether the phase of electroencephalography (EEG) oscillations predicts alerting attention. We isolated the alerting mechanism of attention using the Psychomotor Vigilance Task, which does not involve a perceptual component, and collected high resolution EEG using novel high-density dry EEG arrays at the frontal region of the scalp. We identified that alerting attention alone is sufficient to induce a phase-dependent modulation of behavior at EEG frequencies of 3, 6, and 8 Hz throughout the frontal region, and we quantified the phase that predicts the high and low attention states in our cohort. Our findings disambiguate the relationship between EEG phase and alerting attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgios Mentzelopoulos
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration, and Restoration, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Nicolette Driscoll
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration, and Restoration, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Sneha Shankar
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration, and Restoration, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Brian Kim
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Ryan Rich
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | | | - Harrison Stoll
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Brian Erickson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - John Dominic Medaglia
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Neurology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Flavia Vitale
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neuroengineering and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration, and Restoration, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
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5
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Lui TKY, Obleser J, Wöstmann M. Slow neural oscillations explain temporal fluctuations in distractibility. Prog Neurobiol 2023; 226:102458. [PMID: 37088261 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2023.102458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Human environments comprise various sources of distraction, which often occur unexpectedly in time. The proneness to distraction (i.e., distractibility) is posited to be independent of attentional sampling of targets, but its temporal dynamics and neurobiological basis are largely unknown. Brain oscillations in the theta band (3 - 8Hz) have been associated with fluctuating neural excitability, which is hypothesised here to explain rhythmic modulation of distractibility. In a pitch discrimination task (N = 30) with unexpected auditory distractors, we show that distractor-evoked neural responses in the electroencephalogram and perceptual susceptibility to distraction were co-modulated and cycled approximately 3 - 5 times per second. Pre-distractor neural phase in left inferior frontal and insular cortex regions explained fluctuating distractibility. Thus, human distractibility is not constant but fluctuates on a subsecond timescale. Furthermore, slow neural oscillations subserve the behavioural consequences of a hitherto largely unexplained but ever-increasing phenomenon in modern environments - distraction by unexpected sound.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troby Ka-Yan Lui
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany; Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany; Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Malte Wöstmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany; Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
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6
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Leszczynski M, Bickel S, Nentwich M, Russ BE, Parra L, Lakatos P, Mehta A, Schroeder CE. Saccadic modulation of neural excitability in auditory areas of the neocortex. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1185-1195.e6. [PMID: 36863343 PMCID: PMC10424710 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
In natural "active" vision, humans and other primates use eye movements (saccades) to sample bits of information from visual scenes. In the visual cortex, non-retinal signals linked to saccades shift visual cortical neurons into a high excitability state as each saccade ends. The extent of this saccadic modulation outside of the visual system is unknown. Here, we show that during natural viewing, saccades modulate excitability in numerous auditory cortical areas with a temporal pattern complementary to that seen in visual areas. Control somatosensory cortical recordings indicate that the temporal pattern is unique to auditory areas. Bidirectional functional connectivity patterns suggest that these effects may arise from regions involved in saccade generation. We propose that by using saccadic signals to yoke excitability states in auditory areas to those in visual areas, the brain can improve information processing in complex natural settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Leszczynski
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA; Translational Neuroscience Lab Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; Cognitive Science Department, Institute of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University, Krakow 31-007, Poland.
| | - Stephan Bickel
- Translational Neuroscience Lab Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA; Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, NY 11549, USA
| | - Maximilian Nentwich
- Biomedical Engineering Department, City College, CUNY, New York, NY 10031, USA
| | - Brian E Russ
- Translational Neuroscience Lab Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University at Langone, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Lucas Parra
- Biomedical Engineering Department, City College, CUNY, New York, NY 10031, USA
| | - Peter Lakatos
- Translational Neuroscience Lab Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA; Department of Psychiatry, New York University at Langone, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Ashesh Mehta
- The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA; Departments of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Manhasset, NY 11549, USA
| | - Charles E Schroeder
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA; Translational Neuroscience Lab Division, Center for Biomedical Imaging and Neuromodulation, Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, NY 10962, USA.
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7
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Köhler MHA, Weisz N. Cochlear Theta Activity Oscillates in Phase Opposition during Interaural Attention. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:588-602. [PMID: 36626349 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
It is widely established that sensory perception is a rhythmic process as opposed to a continuous one. In the context of auditory perception, this effect is only established on a cortical and behavioral level. Yet, the unique architecture of the auditory sensory system allows its primary sensory cortex to modulate the processes of its sensory receptors at the cochlear level. Previously, we could demonstrate the existence of a genuine cochlear theta (∼6-Hz) rhythm that is modulated in amplitude by intermodal selective attention. As the study's paradigm was not suited to assess attentional effects on the oscillatory phase of cochlear activity, the question of whether attention can also affect the temporal organization of the cochlea's ongoing activity remained open. The present study utilizes an interaural attention paradigm to investigate ongoing otoacoustic activity during a stimulus-free cue-target interval and an omission period of the auditory target in humans. We were able to replicate the existence of the cochlear theta rhythm. Importantly, we found significant phase opposition between the two ears and attention conditions of anticipatory as well as cochlear oscillatory activity during target presentation. Yet, the amplitude was unaffected by interaural attention. These results are the first to demonstrate that intermodal and interaural attention deploy different aspects of excitation and inhibition at the first level of auditory processing. Whereas intermodal attention modulates the level of cochlear activity, interaural attention modulates the timing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nathan Weisz
- University of Salzburg.,Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria
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8
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Pomper U, Ansorge U. Motor-induced oscillations in choice response performance. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14172. [PMID: 36040756 PMCID: PMC10078311 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Recently, numerous studies have revealed 4-12 Hz fluctuations of behavioral performance in a multitude of tasks. The majority has utilized stimuli near detection threshold and observed related fluctuations in hit-rates, attributing these to perceptual or attentional processes. As neural oscillations in the 8-20 Hz range also feature prominently in cortical motor areas, they might cause fluctuations in the ability to induce responses, independent of attentional capabilities. Additionally, different effectors (e.g., the left versus right hand) might be cyclically prioritized in an alternating fashion, similar to the attentional sampling of distinct locations, objects, or memory templates. Here, we investigated these questions via a behavioral dense-sampling approach. Twenty-six participants performed a simple visual discrimination task using highly salient stimuli. We varied the interval between each motor response and the subsequent target from 330 to 1040 ms, and analyzed performance as a function of this interval. Our data show significant fluctuations of both RTs and sensitivity between 12.5 and 25 Hz, but no evidence for an alternating prioritization of left- versus right-hand responses. While our results suggest an impact of motor-related signals on performance oscillations, they might additionally be influenced by perceptual processes earlier in the processing hierarchy. In summary, we demonstrate that behavioral oscillations generalize to situations involving highly salient stimuli, closer to everyday life. Moreover, our work adds to the literature by showing fluctuations at a high speed, which might be a consequence of both low task difficulty and the involvement of sensorimotor rhythms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Pomper
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrich Ansorge
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Cognitive Science Research Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Research Platform Mediatised Lifeworlds, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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9
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Fiebelkorn IC. There Is More Evidence of Rhythmic Attention than Can Be Found in Behavioral Studies: Perspective on Brookshire, 2022. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 35:128-134. [PMID: 36306250 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Recent research indicates periodicity in attention-related sampling and switching, with some of the initial findings coming from behavioral studies. Brookshire [Brookshire, G. Putative rhythms in attentional switching can be explained by aperiodic temporal structure. Nature Human Behaviour, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-022-01364-0], points out that widely used approaches to testing for rhythms in behavioral times series can misclassify consistent aperiodic patterns in temporal structure as periodic patterns. Evidence for rhythmic attention, however, is not limited to behavioral data. Here, I briefly discuss (i) issues with differentiating periodic and aperiodic structure in both behavioral and neural time series, (ii) findings from neural data that are consistent with rhythmic sampling and switching during attentional deployment, and (iii) whether alternative approaches to establishing periodicity in behavioral time series, recommended by Brookshire are appropriate for this particular research topic.
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10
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Galluzzi F, Benedetto A, Cicchini GM, Burr DC. Visual priming and serial dependence are mediated by separate mechanisms. J Vis 2022; 22:1. [PMID: 36053134 PMCID: PMC9440610 DOI: 10.1167/jov.22.10.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceptual history influences current perception, readily revealed by visual priming (the facilitation of responses on repeated presentations of similar stimuli) and by serial dependence (systematic biases toward the previous stimuli). We asked whether the two phenomena shared perceptual mechanisms. We modified the standard “priming of pop-out” paradigm to measure both priming and serial dependence concurrently. The stimulus comprised three grating patches, one or two red, and the other green. Participants identified the color singleton (either red or green), and reproduced its orientation. Trial sequences were designed to maximize serial dependence, and long runs of priming color and position. The results showed strong effects of priming, both on reaction times and accuracy, which accumulated steadily over time, as generally reported in the literature. The serial dependence effects were also strong, but did not depend on previous color, nor on the run length. Reaction times measured under various conditions of repetition or change of priming color or position were reliably correlated with imprecision in orientation reproduction, but reliably uncorrelated with magnitude of serial dependence. The results suggest that visual priming and serial dependence are mediated by different neural mechanisms. We propose that priming affects sensitivity, possibly via attention-like mechanisms, whereas serial dependence affects criteria, two orthogonal dimensions in the signal detection theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filippo Galluzzi
- Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy.,Centre for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Italian Institute of Technology, Genova, Italy.,
| | - Alessandro Benedetto
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.,Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Center for Visual Science, Rochester, NY, USA.,
| | | | - David C Burr
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Institute of Neuroscience, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy.,School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.,
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11
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Tosato T, Rohenkohl G, Dowdall JR, Fries P. Quantifying rhythmicity in perceptual reports. Neuroimage 2022; 262:119561. [PMID: 35973565 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Several recent studies investigated the rhythmic nature of cognitive processes that lead to perception and behavioral report. These studies used different methods, and there has not yet been an agreement on a general standard. Here, we present a way to test and quantitatively compare these methods. We simulated behavioral data from a typical experiment and analyzed these data with several methods. We applied the main methods found in the literature, namely sine-wave fitting, the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) and the least square spectrum (LSS). DFT and LSS can be applied both on the average accuracy time course and on single trials. LSS is mathematically equivalent to DFT in the case of regular, but not irregular sampling - which is more common. LSS additionally offers the possibility to take into account a weighting factor which affects the strength of the rhythm, such as arousal. Statistical inferences were done either on the investigated sample (fixed-effects) or on the population (random-effects) of simulated participants. Multiple comparisons across frequencies were corrected using False Discovery Rate, Bonferroni, or the Max-Based approach. To perform a quantitative comparison, we calculated sensitivity, specificity and D-prime of the investigated analysis methods and statistical approaches. Within the investigated parameter range, single-trial methods had higher sensitivity and D-prime than the methods based on the average accuracy time course. This effect was further increased for a simulated rhythm of higher frequency. If an additional (observable) factor influenced detection performance, adding this factor as weight in the LSS further improved sensitivity and D-prime. For multiple comparison correction, the Max-Based approach provided the highest specificity and D-prime, closely followed by the Bonferroni approach. Given a fixed total amount of trials, the random-effects approach had higher D-prime when trials were distributed over a larger number of participants, even though this gave less trials per participant. Finally, we present the idea of using a dampened sinusoidal oscillator instead of a simple sinusoidal function, to further improve the fit to behavioral rhythmicity observed after a reset event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Tosato
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Deutschordenstraße 46, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany.
| | - Gustavo Rohenkohl
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Deutschordenstraße 46, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany; Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Jarrod Robert Dowdall
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Deutschordenstraße 46, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany; Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pascal Fries
- Ernst Strüngmann Institute (ESI) for Neuroscience in Cooperation with Max Planck Society, Deutschordenstraße 46, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6525 EN Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
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12
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Schmid RR, Pomper U, Ansorge U. Cyclic reactivation of distinct feature dimensions in human visual working memory. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2022; 226:103561. [PMID: 35316710 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Several recent behavioral studies have observed 4-10 Hz rhythmic fluctuations in attention-related performance over time. So far, this rhythmic attentional sampling has predominantly been demonstrated with regards to external visual attention, directed toward one single feature dimension. Whether and how attention might sample from concurrent internal representations of different feature dimensions held in working memory (WM) is currently largely unknown. To elucidate this issue, we conducted a human behavioral dense-sampling experiment, in which participants had to hold representations of two distinct feature dimensions (color and orientation) in WM. By querying the contents of WM at 72 time-points after encoding, we estimated the activity time course of the individual feature representations. Our results demonstrate an oscillatory component at 9.4 Hz in the joint time courses of both representations, presumably reflecting a common early perceptual sampling process in the alpha-frequency range. Furthermore, we observed an oscillatory component at 3.5 Hz in the time course difference between the two representations. This likely corresponds to a later attentional sampling process and indicates that internal representations of distinct features are activated in alteration. In summary, we demonstrate the cyclic reactivation of internal WM representations of distinct feature dimensions, as well as the co-occurrence of behavioral fluctuations at distinct frequencies, presumably associated to internal perceptual- and attentional rhythms. In addition, our findings also challenge a model of strict parallel processing in visual search, thus, providing novel input to the ongoing debate on whether search for more than one target feature constitutes a parallel- or a sequential mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Rosa Schmid
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna.
| | - Ulrich Pomper
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna
| | - Ulrich Ansorge
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna; Cognitive Science Research Hub, University of Vienna; Research Platform Mediatised Lifeworlds, University of Vienna
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13
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Keitel C, Ruzzoli M, Dugué L, Busch NA, Benwell CSY. Rhythms in cognition: The evidence revisited. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:2991-3009. [PMID: 35696729 PMCID: PMC9544967 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Manuela Ruzzoli
- Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), Donostia/San Sebastian, Spain.,Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Laura Dugué
- Université Paris Cité, INCC UMR 8002, CNRS, Paris, France.,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Niko A Busch
- Institute for Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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14
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Putative rhythms in attentional switching can be explained by aperiodic temporal structure. Nat Hum Behav 2022; 6:1280-1291. [PMID: 35680992 PMCID: PMC9489532 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-022-01364-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The neural and perceptual effects of attention were traditionally assumed to be sustained over time, but recent work suggests that covert attention rhythmically switches between objects at 3-8 Hz. Here I use simulations to demonstrate that the analysis approaches commonly used to test for rhythmic oscillations generate false positives in the presence of aperiodic temporal structure. I then propose two alternative analyses that are better able to discriminate between periodic and aperiodic structure in time series. Finally, I apply these alternative analyses to published datasets and find no evidence for behavioural rhythms in attentional switching after accounting for aperiodic temporal structure. The techniques presented here will help clarify the periodic and aperiodic dynamics of perception and of cognition more broadly.
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15
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Plöchl M, Fiebelkorn I, Kastner S, Obleser J. Attentional sampling of visual and auditory objects is captured by theta-modulated neural activity. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:3067-3082. [PMID: 34729843 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that visual attention alternately samples two behaviourally relevant objects at approximately 4 Hz, rhythmically shifting between the objects. Whether similar attentional rhythms exist in other sensory modalities, however, is not yet clear. We therefore adapted and extended an established paradigm to investigate visual and potential auditory attentional rhythms, as well as possible interactions, on both a behavioural (detection performance, N = 33) and a neural level (EEG, N = 18). The results during unimodal attention demonstrate that both visual- and auditory-target detection fluctuate at frequencies of approximately 4-8 Hz, confirming that attentional rhythms are not specific to visual processing. The EEG recordings provided evidence of oscillatory activity that underlies these behavioural effects. At right and left occipital EEG electrodes, we detected counter-phasic theta-band activity (4-8 Hz), mirroring behavioural evidence of alternating sampling between the objects presented right and left of central fixation, respectively. Similarly, alpha-band activity as a signature of relatively suppressed sensory encoding showed a theta-rhythmic, counter-phasic change in power. Moreover, these theta-rhythmic changes in alpha power were predictive of behavioural performance in both sensory modalities. Overall, the present findings provide a new perspective on the multimodal rhythmicity of attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Plöchl
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ian Fiebelkorn
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.,Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Sabine Kastner
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA.,Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.,Center of Brain, Behavior, and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
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16
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Abstract
Representations held in working memory are crucial in guiding human attention in a goal-directed fashion. Currently, it is debated whether only a single representation or several of these representations can be active and bias behavior at any given moment. In the present study, 25 university students performed a behavioral dense-sampling experiment to produce an estimate of the temporal-activation patterns of two simultaneously held visual templates. We report two key novel results. First, performance related to both representations was not continuous but fluctuated rhythmically at 6 Hz. This corresponds to neural oscillations in the theta band, the functional importance of which in working memory is well established. Second, our findings suggest that two concurrently held representations may be prioritized in alternation, not simultaneously. Our data extend recent research on rhythmic sampling of external information by demonstrating an analogous mechanism in the cyclic activation of internal working memory representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Pomper
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna
| | - Ulrich Ansorge
- Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, University of Vienna.,Cognitive Science Research Hub, University of Vienna.,Research Platform Mediatised Lifeworlds, University of Vienna
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17
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Jia J, Fan Y, Luo H. Alpha-Band Phase Modulates Bottom-up Feature Processing. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1260-1268. [PMID: 34411242 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies reveal that attention operates in a rhythmic manner, that is, sampling each location or feature alternatively over time. However, most evidence derives from top-down tasks, and it remains elusive whether bottom-up processing also entails dynamic coordination. Here, we developed a novel feature processing paradigm and combined time-resolved behavioral measurements and electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings to address the question. Specifically, a salient color in a multicolor display serves as a noninformative cue to capture attention and presumably reset the oscillations of feature processing. We then measured the behavioral performance of a probe stimulus associated with either high- or low-salient color at varied temporal lags after the cue. First, the behavioral results (i.e., reaction time) display an alpha-band (~8 Hz) profile with a consistent phase lag between high- and low-salient conditions. Second, simultaneous EEG recordings show that behavioral performance is modulated by the phase of alpha-band neural oscillation at the onset of the probes. Finally, high- and low-salient probes are associated with distinct preferred phases of alpha-band neural oscillations. Taken together, our behavioral and neural results convergingly support a central function of alpha-band rhythms in feature processing, that is, features with varied saliency levels are processed at different phases of alpha neural oscillations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianrong Jia
- Center for Cognition and Brain Disorders of Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310015, China.,Institute of Psychological Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311121, China.,Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Research in Assessment of Cognitive Impairments, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311121, China
| | - Ying Fan
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Huan Luo
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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18
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Bauer AKR, van Ede F, Quinn AJ, Nobre AC. Rhythmic Modulation of Visual Perception by Continuous Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation. J Neurosci 2021; 41:7065-7075. [PMID: 34261698 PMCID: PMC8372019 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2980-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
At any given moment our sensory systems receive multiple, often rhythmic, inputs from the environment. Processing of temporally structured events in one sensory modality can guide both behavioral and neural processing of events in other sensory modalities, but whether this occurs remains unclear. Here, we used human electroencephalography (EEG) to test the cross-modal influences of a continuous auditory frequency-modulated (FM) sound on visual perception and visual cortical activity. We report systematic fluctuations in perceptual discrimination of brief visual stimuli in line with the phase of the FM-sound. We further show that this rhythmic modulation in visual perception is related to an accompanying rhythmic modulation of neural activity recorded over visual areas. Importantly, in our task, perceptual and neural visual modulations occurred without any abrupt and salient onsets in the energy of the auditory stimulation and without any rhythmic structure in the visual stimulus. As such, the results provide a critical validation for the existence and functional role of cross-modal entrainment and demonstrates its utility for organizing the perception of multisensory stimulation in the natural environment.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our sensory environment is filled with rhythmic structures that are often multi-sensory in nature. Here, we show that the alignment of neural activity to the phase of an auditory frequency-modulated (FM) sound has cross-modal consequences for vision: yielding systematic fluctuations in perceptual discrimination of brief visual stimuli that are mediated by accompanying rhythmic modulation of neural activity recorded over visual areas. These cross-modal effects on visual neural activity and perception occurred without any abrupt and salient onsets in the energy of the auditory stimulation and without any rhythmic structure in the visual stimulus. The current work shows that continuous auditory fluctuations in the natural environment can provide a pacing signal for neural activity and perception across the senses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katharina R Bauer
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
| | - Freek van Ede
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
- Institute for Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081BT, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew J Quinn
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
- Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom
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19
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Benedetto A, Binda P, Costagli M, Tosetti M, Morrone MC. Predictive visuo-motor communication through neural oscillations. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3401-3408.e4. [PMID: 34111403 PMCID: PMC8360767 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The mechanisms coordinating action and perception over time are poorly understood. The sensory cortex needs to prepare for upcoming changes contingent on action, and this requires temporally precise communication that takes into account the variable delays between sensory and motor processing. Several theorists1,2 have proposed synchronization of the endogenous oscillatory activity observed in most regions of the brain3 as the basis for an efficient and flexible communication protocol between distal brain areas,2,4 a concept known as "communication through coherence." Synchronization of endogenous oscillations5,6 occurs after a salient sensory stimulus, such as a flash or a sound,7-11 and after a voluntary action,12-18 and this directly impacts perception, causing performance to oscillate rhythmically over time. Here we introduce a novel fMRI paradigm to probe the neural sources of oscillations, based on the concept of perturbative signals, which overcomes the low temporal resolution of BOLD signals. The assumption is that a synchronized endogenous rhythm will modulate cortical excitability rhythmically, which should be reflected in the BOLD responses to brief stimuli presented at different phases of the oscillation cycle. We record rhythmic oscillations of V1 BOLD synchronized by a simple voluntary action, in phase with behaviorally measured oscillations in visual sensitivity in the theta range. The functional connectivity between V1 and M1 also oscillates at the same rhythm. By demonstrating oscillatory temporal coupling between primary motor and sensory cortices, our results strongly implicate communication through coherence to achieve precise coordination and to encode sensory-motor timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Benedetto
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Mauro Costagli
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Sciences (DINOGMI), University of Genova, Genova, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy
| | - Michela Tosetti
- Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy; Imago 7 Research Foundation, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy; Laboratory of Medical Physics and Magnetic Resonance, IRCCS Stella Maris, Pisa, Italy.
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20
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Balestrieri E, Ronconi L, Melcher D. Shared resources between visual attention and visual working memory are allocated through rhythmic sampling. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:3040-3053. [PMID: 33942394 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Attention and visual working memory (VWM) are among the most theoretically detailed and empirically tested constructs in human cognition. Nevertheless, the nature of the interrelation between selective attention and VWM still presents a fundamental controversy: Do they rely on the same cognitive resources or not? The present study aims at disentangling this issue by capitalizing on recent evidence showing that attention is a rhythmic phenomenon, oscillating over short time windows. Using a dual-task approach, we combined a classic VWM task with a visual detection task in which we densely sampled detection performance during the time between the memory and the test array. Our results show that an increment in VWM load was related to reduced detection of near-threshold visual stimuli. Importantly, we observed an oscillatory pattern in detection at ~7.5 Hz in the low VWM load conditions, which decreased towards ~5 Hz in the high VWM load condition. These findings suggest that the frequency of this sampling rhythm changes according to the allocation of attentional resources to either the VWM or the detection task. This pattern of results is consistent with a central sampling attentional rhythm which allocates shared attentional resources both to the flow of external visual stimulation and to the internal maintenance of visual information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elio Balestrieri
- Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeld Center for Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience, Münster, Germany
| | - Luca Ronconi
- School of Psychology, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.,Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - David Melcher
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.,Psychology Program, Division of Science, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
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21
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Köhler MHA, Demarchi G, Weisz N. Cochlear activity in silent cue-target intervals shows a theta-rhythmic pattern and is correlated to attentional alpha and theta modulations. BMC Biol 2021; 19:48. [PMID: 33726746 PMCID: PMC7968255 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-00992-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A long-standing debate concerns where in the processing hierarchy of the central nervous system (CNS) selective attention takes effect. In the auditory system, cochlear processes can be influenced via direct and mediated (by the inferior colliculus) projections from the auditory cortex to the superior olivary complex (SOC). Studies illustrating attentional modulations of cochlear responses have so far been limited to sound-evoked responses. The aim of the present study is to investigate intermodal (audiovisual) selective attention in humans simultaneously at the cortical and cochlear level during a stimulus-free cue-target interval. RESULTS We found that cochlear activity in the silent cue-target intervals was modulated by a theta-rhythmic pattern (~ 6 Hz). While this pattern was present independently of attentional focus, cochlear theta activity was clearly enhanced when attending to the upcoming auditory input. On a cortical level, classical posterior alpha and beta power enhancements were found during auditory selective attention. Interestingly, participants with a stronger release of inhibition in auditory brain regions show a stronger attentional modulation of cochlear theta activity. CONCLUSIONS These results hint at a putative theta-rhythmic sampling of auditory input at the cochlear level. Furthermore, our results point to an interindividual variable engagement of efferent pathways in an attentional context that are linked to processes within and beyond processes in auditory cortical regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Herbert Albrecht Köhler
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
| | - Gianpaolo Demarchi
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Nathan Weisz
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Straße 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria
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22
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Ho HT, Burr DC, Alais D, Morrone MC. Propagation and update of auditory perceptual priors through alpha and theta rhythms. Eur J Neurosci 2021; 55:3083-3099. [PMID: 33559266 PMCID: PMC9543013 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
To maintain a continuous and coherent percept over time, the brain makes use of past sensory information to anticipate forthcoming stimuli. We recently showed that auditory experience of the immediate past is propagated through ear-specific reverberations, manifested as rhythmic fluctuations of decision bias at alpha frequencies. Here, we apply the same time-resolved behavioural method to investigate how perceptual performance changes over time under conditions of stimulus expectation and to examine the effect of unexpected events on behaviour. As in our previous study, participants were required to discriminate the ear-of-origin of a brief monaural pure tone embedded in uncorrelated dichotic white noise. We manipulated stimulus expectation by increasing the target probability in one ear to 80%. Consistent with our earlier findings, performance did not remain constant across trials, but varied rhythmically with delay from noise onset. Specifically, decision bias showed a similar oscillation at ~9 Hz, which depended on ear congruency between successive targets. This suggests rhythmic communication of auditory perceptual history occurs early and is not readily influenced by top-down expectations. In addition, we report a novel observation specific to infrequent, unexpected stimuli that gave rise to oscillations in accuracy at ~7.6 Hz one trial after the target occurred in the non-anticipated ear. This new behavioural oscillation may reflect a mechanism for updating the sensory representation once a prediction error has been detected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Tam Ho
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.,Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology, and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - David C Burr
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia.,Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology, and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,Institute of Neuroscience, Pisa, Italy
| | - David Alais
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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23
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Chen A, Zu G, Dong B, Zhang M. Cortical Distance but Not Physical Distance Modulates Attentional Rhythms. Front Psychol 2020; 11:541085. [PMID: 33329175 PMCID: PMC7710514 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.541085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been well documented that the spotlight of attention is intrinsically rhythmic and oscillates by discretely sampling either single or multiple objects. However, the neural site of attentional rhythms remains poorly understood. Considering the topography of visual cortical areas, we modulated the cortical distances of two gratings while fixing the corresponding retinal distance by setting the gratings on different sides (cortically far, Experiment 1) or on the same side (cortically near, Experiment 2) of the vertical median, to investigate the interhemispheric divide effect in attentional rhythms. The cue-target stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) varied from 0.1 s to 1.08 s in 20-ms increments, allowing fluctuations below 50 Hz to be examined. The results showed that when the two stimuli were on opposite sides of the vertical meridian, attentional rhythms were observed at theta and alpha frequencies, consistent with the results reported in previous studies. However, when the two stimuli were located on the same side of the vertical meridian, attentional rhythms were not observed. This study indicates that attentional rhythms are modulated by cortical distance but not by physical distance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Airui Chen
- Department of Psychology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China
| | - Guangyao Zu
- Department of Psychology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Bo Dong
- Department of Psychology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, China.,Department of Psychology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.,Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in Health Systems, Okayama University, Tsushima-Naka Campus, Okayama, Japan
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24
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Abstract
Human behavior fluctuates. A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that behavioral performance in perception fluctuates rhythmically, with dynamics closely resembling spectral features of neural oscillations. However, it is unclear whether the behavioral fluctuations in a complex cooperation context can also express similar rhythmic features, and, more importantly, whether these behavioral rhythms are synchronized among co-actors in a neurophysiologically relevant manner. To answer these questions, we applied a time-resolved approach, previously used for probing individual-level behavioral oscillations in perception, in a complex social interaction context, and further probed dyad-level behavioral synchrony. Twenty pairs of male participants completed, in dyad, joint-action tasks with cooperation or competition demand. We extracted behavioral rhythms from ongoing cooperative performance and measured behavioral synchrony by computing the phase coherence of these behavioral rhythms between dyad members. Despite the absence of significant behavioral oscillations in individuals' amplitude spectrum, we observed enhanced theta-band phase coherence between co-actors' behavioral rhythms during cooperation compared to competition conditions. These results indicate that cooperative behaviors of co-actors fluctuated synchronously within the theta band, providing a behavioral counterpart of theta-band interbrain synchrony in cooperation reported in previous hyperscanning studies. Furthermore, the observed behavioral synchrony could be used as a sensitive predictor of cooperation pattern, as evidenced by its significant correlation with leader-follower relationship during cooperation.
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25
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Bell J, Burr DC, Crookes K, Morrone MC. Perceptual Oscillations in Gender Classification of Faces, Contingent on Stimulus History. iScience 2020; 23:101573. [PMID: 33083740 PMCID: PMC7527710 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception is a proactive ‘‘predictive’’ process, in which the brain takes advantage of past experience to make informed guesses about the world to test against sensory data. Here we demonstrate that in the judgment of the gender of faces, beta rhythms play an important role in communicating perceptual experience. Observers classified in forced choice as male or female, a sequence of face stimuli, which were physically constructed to be male or female or androgynous (equal morph). Classification of the androgynous stimuli oscillated rhythmically between male and female, following a complex waveform comprising 13.5 and 17 Hz. Parsing the trials based on the preceding stimulus showed that responses to androgynous stimuli preceded by male stimuli oscillated reliably at 17 Hz, whereas those preceded by female stimuli oscillated at 13.5 Hz. These results suggest that perceptual priors for face perception from recent perceptual memory are communicated through frequency-coded beta rhythms. Perception is strongly influenced by prior expectations and perceptual experience We show perceptual priors for face perception are communicated through beta rhythms Priors for male and female are communicated via distinct beta frequencies
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Bell
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - David C Burr
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology, and Child Health, University of Florence, Via di San Salvi 12, 50139 Florence, Italy.,School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Brennan MacCallum Building A18, Manning Road, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Kate Crookes
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.,School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Dr Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56123 Pisa, Italy
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26
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The rhythm of attention: Perceptual modulation via rhythmic entrainment is lowpass and attention mediated. Atten Percept Psychophys 2020; 82:3558-3570. [PMID: 32686065 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-020-02095-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Modulation patterns are known to carry critical predictive cues to signal detection in complex acoustic environments. The current study investigated the persistence of masker modulation effects on postmodulation detection of probe signals. Hickok, Farahbod, and Saberi (Psychological Science, 26, 1006-1013, 2015) demonstrated that thresholds for a tone pulse in stationary noise follow a predictable periodic pattern when preceded by a 3-Hz amplitude modulated masker. They found entrainment of detection patterns to the modulation envelope lasting for approximately two cycles after termination of modulation. The current study extends these results to a wide range of modulation rates by mapping the temporal modulation transfer function for persistent modulatory effects. We found significant entrainment to modulation rates of 2 and 3 Hz, a weaker effect at 5 Hz, and no entrainment at higher rates (8 to 32 Hz). The effect seems critically dependent on attentional mechanisms, requiring temporal and level uncertainty of the probe signal. Our findings suggest that the persistence of modulatory effects on signal detection is lowpass in nature and attention based.
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27
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Bauer AKR, Debener S, Nobre AC. Synchronisation of Neural Oscillations and Cross-modal Influences. Trends Cogn Sci 2020; 24:481-495. [PMID: 32317142 PMCID: PMC7653674 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 02/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
At any given moment, we receive multiple signals from our different senses. Prior research has shown that signals in one sensory modality can influence neural activity and behavioural performance associated with another sensory modality. Recent human and nonhuman primate studies suggest that such cross-modal influences in sensory cortices are mediated by the synchronisation of ongoing neural oscillations. In this review, we consider two mechanisms proposed to facilitate cross-modal influences on sensory processing, namely cross-modal phase resetting and neural entrainment. We consider how top-down processes may further influence cross-modal processing in a flexible manner, and we highlight fruitful directions for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katharina R Bauer
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Brain and Cognition Lab, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Department of Psychiatry, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, UK.
| | - Stefan Debener
- Department of Psychology, Neuropsychology Lab, Cluster of Excellence Hearing4All, University of Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Brain and Cognition Lab, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Department of Psychiatry, Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, UK
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28
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Benedetto A, Morrone MC. Visual sensitivity and bias oscillate phase-locked to saccadic eye movements. J Vis 2019; 19:15. [DOI: 10.1167/19.14.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Benedetto
- Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Dipartimento di Ricerca Traslazionale e delle Nuove Tecnologie in Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Zoefel B. Auditory Perception: A Rhythm Reflecting the Past. Curr Biol 2019; 29:R1318-R1320. [PMID: 31846682 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.10.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that auditory perception fluctuates rhythmically after a cue. New research shows that these 'behavioural oscillations' critically depend on expectations from preceding stimulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Zoefel
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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30
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Ho HT, Burr DC, Alais D, Morrone MC. Auditory Perceptual History Is Propagated through Alpha Oscillations. Curr Biol 2019; 29:4208-4217.e3. [PMID: 31761705 PMCID: PMC6926473 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.10.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 09/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Perception is a proactive, “predictive” process, in which the brain relies, at least in part, on accumulated experience to make best guesses about the world to test against sensory data, updating the guesses as new experience is acquired. Using novel behavioral methods, the present study demonstrates the role of alpha rhythms in communicating past perceptual experience. Participants were required to discriminate the ear of origin of brief sinusoidal tones that were presented monaurally at random times within a burst of uncorrelated dichotic white noise masks. Performance was not constant but varied with delay after noise onset in an oscillatory manner at about 9 Hz (alpha rhythm). Importantly, oscillations occurred only for trials preceded by a target tone to the same ear, either on the previous trial or two trials back. These results suggest that communication of perceptual history generates neural oscillations within specific perceptual circuits, strongly implicating behavioral oscillations in predictive perception and with formation of working memory. We demonstrate the role of alpha rhythms in the propagation of perceptual history Auditory decisions were rhythmically biased by stimuli presented 1 or 2 trials back Bias oscillated at ∼9 Hz only when successive stimuli occurred in the same ear Alpha is strongly implicated in predictive perception and working memory formation
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Tam Ho
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Brennan MacCallum Building A18, Manning Road, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia; Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56123 Pisa, Italy.
| | - David C Burr
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Brennan MacCallum Building A18, Manning Road, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia; Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology, and Child Health, University of Florence, Via di San Salvi 12, 50139 Florence, Italy; Institute of Neuroscience, Via Giuseppe Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy.
| | - David Alais
- School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Brennan MacCallum Building A18, Manning Road, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via San Zeno 31, 56123 Pisa, Italy
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31
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Jia J, Fang F, Luo H. Selective spatial attention involves two alpha-band components associated with distinct spatiotemporal and functional characteristics. Neuroimage 2019; 199:228-236. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.05.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 05/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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32
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Kayser C. Evidence for the Rhythmic Perceptual Sampling of Auditory Scenes. Front Hum Neurosci 2019; 13:249. [PMID: 31396064 PMCID: PMC6663999 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Converging results suggest that perception is controlled by rhythmic processes in the brain. In the auditory domain, neuroimaging studies show that the perception of sounds is shaped by rhythmic activity prior to the stimulus, and electrophysiological recordings have linked delta and theta band activity to the functioning of individual neurons. These results have promoted theories of rhythmic modes of listening and generally suggest that the perceptually relevant encoding of acoustic information is structured by rhythmic processes along auditory pathways. A prediction from this perspective-which so far has not been tested-is that such rhythmic processes also shape how acoustic information is combined over time to judge extended soundscapes. The present study was designed to directly test this prediction. Human participants judged the overall change in perceived frequency content in temporally extended (1.2-1.8 s) soundscapes, while the perceptual use of the available sensory evidence was quantified using psychophysical reverse correlation. Model-based analysis of individual participant's perceptual weights revealed a rich temporal structure, including linear trends, a U-shaped profile tied to the overall stimulus duration, and importantly, rhythmic components at the time scale of 1-2 Hz. The collective evidence found here across four versions of the experiment supports the notion that rhythmic processes operating on the delta time scale structure how perception samples temporally extended acoustic scenes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Kayser
- Department for Cognitive Neuroscience & Cognitive Interaction Technology, Center of Excellence, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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33
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Shalev N, Bauer AKR, Nobre AC. The tempos of performance. Curr Opin Psychol 2019; 29:254-260. [PMID: 31302478 PMCID: PMC6996131 DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2018] [Revised: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 06/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Human performance fluctuates over time. Rather than random, the complex time course of variation reflects, among other factors, influences from regular periodic processes operating at multiple time scales. In this review, we consider evidence for how our performance ebbs and flows over fractions of seconds as we engage with sensory objects, over minutes as we perform tasks, and over hours according to homeostatic factors. We propose that rhythms of performance at these multiple tempos arise from the interplay among three sources of influence: intrinsic fluctuations in brain activity, periodicity of external stimulation, and the anticipation of the temporal structure of external stimulation by the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nir Shalev
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Department of Psychiatry, and Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
| | - Anna-Katharina R Bauer
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Department of Psychiatry, and Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Anna C Nobre
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Department of Psychiatry, and Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
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34
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Benedetto A, Morrone MC, Tomassini A. The Common Rhythm of Action and Perception. J Cogn Neurosci 2019; 32:187-200. [PMID: 31210564 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Research in the last decade has undermined the idea of perception as a continuous process, providing strong empirical support for its rhythmic modulation. More recently, it has been revealed that the ongoing motor processes influence the rhythmic sampling of sensory information. In this review, we will focus on a growing body of evidence suggesting that oscillation-based mechanisms may structure the dynamic interplay between the motor and sensory system and provide a unified temporal frame for their effective coordination. We will describe neurophysiological data, primarily collected in animals, showing phase-locking of neuronal oscillations to the onset of (eye) movements. These data are complemented by novel evidence in humans, which demonstrate the behavioral relevance of these oscillatory modulations and their domain-general nature. Finally, we will discuss the possible implications of these modulations for action-perception coupling mechanisms.
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35
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Senoussi M, Moreland JC, Busch NA, Dugué L. Attention explores space periodically at the theta frequency. J Vis 2019; 19:22. [DOI: 10.1167/19.5.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Senoussi
- ISAE-Supaéro, Université Fédérale de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
- Present address: Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- ://sites.google.com/site/senoussim/
| | - James C. Moreland
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Niko A. Busch
- Institute of Psychology, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster, Germany
| | - Laura Dugué
- CNRS (Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, UMR 8002), Paris, France
- Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
- ://duguelaura.wixsite.com/mysite
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36
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Liu L, Luo H. Behavioral oscillation in global/local processing: Global alpha oscillations mediate global precedence effect. J Vis 2019; 19:12. [DOI: 10.1167/19.5.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ling Liu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Huan Luo
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
- http://mgv.pku.edu.cn/english/people/lbd/sopacs/
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37
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Reaction Time Improvements by Neural Bistability. Behav Sci (Basel) 2019; 9:bs9030028. [PMID: 30889937 PMCID: PMC6466602 DOI: 10.3390/bs9030028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The often reported reduction of Reaction Time (RT) by Vision Training) is successfully replicated by 81 athletes across sports. This enabled us to achieve a mean reduction of RTs for athletes eye-hand coordination of more than 10%, with high statistical significance. We explain how such an observed effect of Sensorimotor systems' plasticity causing reduced RT can last in practice for multiple days and even weeks in subjects, via a proof of principle. Its mathematical neural model can be forced outside a previous stable (but long) RT into a state leading to reduced eye-hand coordination RT, which is, again, in a stable neural state.
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Behavioural oscillations in visual orientation discrimination reveal distinct modulation rates for both sensitivity and response bias. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1115. [PMID: 30718679 PMCID: PMC6362039 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37918-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Perception is modulated by ongoing brain oscillations. Psychophysical studies show a voluntary action can synchronize oscillations, producing rhythmical fluctuations of visual contrast sensitivity. We used signal detection to examine whether voluntary action could also synchronize oscillations in decision criterion, and whether that was due to the oscillations of perceptual bias or of motor bias. Trials started with a voluntary button-press. After variable time lags, a grating at threshold contrast was presented briefly and participants discriminated its orientation (45° or −45°) with a mouse-click. Two groups of participants completed the experiment with opposite mappings between grating orientations and response buttons. We calculated sensitivity and criterion in the 800 ms period following the button press. To test for oscillations, we fitted first-order Fourier series to these time series. Alpha oscillations occurred in both sensitivity and criterion at different frequencies: ~8 Hz (sensitivity) and ~10 Hz (criterion). Sensitivity oscillations had the same phase for both stimulus-response mappings. Criterion oscillations, however, showed a strong anti-phase relationship when the two groups were compared, suggesting a motor bias rather than perceptual bias. Our findings suggest two roles for alpha oscillations: in sensitivity, reflecting rhythmic attentional inhibition, and in criterion, indicating dynamic motor-related anticipation or preparation.
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Re D, Inbar M, Richter CG, Landau AN. Feature-Based Attention Samples Stimuli Rhythmically. Curr Biol 2019; 29:693-699.e4. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 12/05/2018] [Accepted: 01/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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40
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Huang Q, Luo H. Saliency-based Rhythmic Coordination of Perceptual Predictions. J Cogn Neurosci 2019; 32:201-211. [PMID: 30633602 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Objects, shown explicitly or held in mind internally, compete for limited processing resources. Recent studies have demonstrated that attention samples locations and objects rhythmically. Interestingly, periodic sampling not only operates over objects in the same scene but also occurs for multiple perceptual predictions that are held in attention for incoming inputs. However, how the brain coordinates perceptual predictions that are endowed with different levels of bottom-up saliency information remains unclear. To address the issue, we used a fine-grained behavioral measurement to investigate the temporal dynamics of processing of high- and low-salient visual stimuli, which have equal possibility to occur within experimental blocks. We demonstrate that perceptual predictions associated with different levels of saliency are organized via a theta-band rhythmic course and are optimally processed in different phases within each theta-band cycle. Meanwhile, when the high- and low-salient stimuli are presented in separate blocks and thus not competing with each other, the periodic behavioral profile is no longer present. In summary, our findings suggest that attention samples and coordinates multiple perceptual predictions through a theta-band rhythm according to their relative saliency. Our results, in combination with previous studies, advocate the rhythmic nature of attentional process.
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41
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Davidson MJ, Alais D, van Boxtel JJ, Tsuchiya N. Attention periodically samples competing stimuli during binocular rivalry. eLife 2018; 7:40868. [PMID: 30507378 PMCID: PMC6298779 DOI: 10.7554/elife.40868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The attentional sampling hypothesis suggests that attention rhythmically enhances sensory processing when attending to a single (~8 Hz), or multiple (~4 Hz) objects. Here, we investigated whether attention samples sensory representations that are not part of the conscious percept during binocular rivalry. When crossmodally cued toward a conscious image, subsequent changes in consciousness occurred at ~8 Hz, consistent with the rates of undivided attentional sampling. However, when attention was cued toward the suppressed image, changes in consciousness slowed to ~3.5 Hz, indicating the division of attention away from the conscious visual image. In the electroencephalogram, we found that at attentional sampling frequencies, the strength of inter-trial phase-coherence over fronto-temporal and parieto-occipital regions correlated with changes in perception. When cues were not task-relevant, these effects disappeared, confirming that perceptual changes were dependent upon the allocation of attention, and that attention can flexibly sample away from a conscious image in a task-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Davidson
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.,Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - David Alais
- School of Psychology, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - Jeroen Ja van Boxtel
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.,Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.,School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia
| | - Naotsugu Tsuchiya
- School of Psychological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.,Monash Institute of Cognitive and Clinical Neurosciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
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43
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Perceptual Oscillation of Audiovisual Time Simultaneity. eNeuro 2018; 5:eN-NWR-0047-18. [PMID: 29845106 PMCID: PMC5969321 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0047-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Revised: 03/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Action and perception are tightly coupled systems requiring coordination and synchronization over time. How the brain achieves synchronization is still a matter of debate, but recent experiments suggest that brain oscillations may play an important role in this process. Brain oscillations have been also proposed to be fundamental in determining time perception. Here, we had subjects perform an audiovisual temporal order judgment task to investigate the fine dynamics of temporal bias and sensitivity before and after the execution of voluntary hand movement (button-press). The reported order of the audiovisual sequence was rhythmically biased as a function of delay from hand action execution. Importantly, we found that it oscillated at a theta range frequency, starting ∼500 ms before and persisting ∼250 ms after the button-press, with consistent phase-locking across participants. Our results show that the perception of cross-sensory simultaneity oscillates rhythmically in synchrony with the programming phase of a voluntary action, demonstrating a link between action preparation and bias in temporal perceptual judgments.
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