1
|
Hong 洪卉 H, Moore LA, Apostolides PF, Trussell LO. Calcium-Sensitive Subthreshold Oscillations and Electrical Coupling in Principal Cells of Mouse Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e0106202023. [PMID: 37968120 PMCID: PMC10860609 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0106-20.2023] [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: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In higher sensory brain regions, slow oscillations (0.5-5 Hz) associated with quiet wakefulness and attention modulate multisensory integration, predictive coding, and perception. Although often assumed to originate via thalamocortical mechanisms, the extent to which subcortical sensory pathways are independently capable of slow oscillatory activity is unclear. We find that in the first station for auditory processing, the cochlear nucleus, fusiform cells from juvenile mice (of either sex) generate robust 1-2 Hz oscillations in membrane potential and exhibit electrical resonance. Such oscillations were absent prior to the onset of hearing, intrinsically generated by hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) and persistent Na+ conductances (NaP) interacting with passive membrane properties, and reflected the intrinsic resonance properties of fusiform cells. Cx36-containing gap junctions facilitated oscillation strength and promoted pairwise synchrony of oscillations between neighboring neurons. The strength of oscillations were strikingly sensitive to external Ca2+, disappearing at concentrations >1.7 mM, due in part to the shunting effect of small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels. This effect explains their apparent absence in previous in vitro studies of cochlear nucleus which routinely employed high-Ca2+ extracellular solution. In contrast, oscillations were amplified in reduced Ca2+ solutions, due to relief of suppression by Ca2+ of Na+ channel gating. Our results thus reveal mechanisms for synchronous oscillatory activity in auditory brainstem, suggesting that slow oscillations, and by extension their perceptual effects, may originate at the earliest stages of sensory processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hui Hong 洪卉
- Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland 97239, Oregon
| | - Lucille A Moore
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland 97239, Oregon
| | - Pierre F Apostolides
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland 97239, Oregon
| | - Laurence O Trussell
- Oregon Hearing Research Center and Vollum Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland 97239, Oregon
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Silva Pereira S, Özer EE, Sebastian-Galles N. Complexity of STG signals and linguistic rhythm: a methodological study for EEG data. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad549. [PMID: 38236741 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad549] [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: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The superior temporal and the Heschl's gyri of the human brain play a fundamental role in speech processing. Neurons synchronize their activity to the amplitude envelope of the speech signal to extract acoustic and linguistic features, a process known as neural tracking/entrainment. Electroencephalography has been extensively used in language-related research due to its high temporal resolution and reduced cost, but it does not allow for a precise source localization. Motivated by the lack of a unified methodology for the interpretation of source reconstructed signals, we propose a method based on modularity and signal complexity. The procedure was tested on data from an experiment in which we investigated the impact of native language on tracking to linguistic rhythms in two groups: English natives and Spanish natives. In the experiment, we found no effect of native language but an effect of language rhythm. Here, we compare source projected signals in the auditory areas of both hemispheres for the different conditions using nonparametric permutation tests, modularity, and a dynamical complexity measure. We found increasing values of complexity for decreased regularity in the stimuli, giving us the possibility to conclude that languages with less complex rhythms are easier to track by the auditory cortex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Silvana Silva Pereira
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communications Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ege Ekin Özer
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communications Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Nuria Sebastian-Galles
- Center for Brain and Cognition, Department of Information and Communications Technologies, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Gunasekaran H, Azizi L, van Wassenhove V, Herbst SK. Characterizing endogenous delta oscillations in human MEG. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11031. [PMID: 37419933 PMCID: PMC10328979 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37514-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Rhythmic activity in the delta frequency range (0.5-3 Hz) is a prominent feature of brain dynamics. Here, we examined whether spontaneous delta oscillations, as found in invasive recordings in awake animals, can be observed in non-invasive recordings performed in humans with magnetoencephalography (MEG). In humans, delta activity is commonly reported when processing rhythmic sensory inputs, with direct relationships to behaviour. However, rhythmic brain dynamics observed during rhythmic sensory stimulation cannot be interpreted as an endogenous oscillation. To test for endogenous delta oscillations we analysed human MEG data during rest. For comparison, we additionally analysed two conditions in which participants engaged in spontaneous finger tapping and silent counting, arguing that internally rhythmic behaviours could incite an otherwise silent neural oscillator. A novel set of analysis steps allowed us to show narrow spectral peaks in the delta frequency range in rest, and during overt and covert rhythmic activity. Additional analyses in the time domain revealed that only the resting state condition warranted an interpretation of these peaks as endogenously periodic neural dynamics. In sum, this work shows that using advanced signal processing techniques, it is possible to observe endogenous delta oscillations in non-invasive recordings of human brain dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Harish Gunasekaran
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, NeuroSpin, CEA, INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Leila Azizi
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, NeuroSpin, CEA, INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Virginie van Wassenhove
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, NeuroSpin, CEA, INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France
| | - Sophie K Herbst
- Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit, NeuroSpin, CEA, INSERM, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91191, Gif/Yvette, France.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Herrmann B, Maess B, Henry MJ, Obleser J, Johnsrude IS. Neural signatures of task-related fluctuations in auditory attention and age-related changes. Neuroimage 2023; 268:119883. [PMID: 36657693 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119883] [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: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Listening in everyday life requires attention to be deployed dynamically - when listening is expected to be difficult and when relevant information is expected to occur - to conserve mental resources. Conserving mental resources may be particularly important for older adults who often experience difficulties understanding speech. In the current study, we use electro- and magnetoencephalography to investigate the neural and behavioral mechanics of attention regulation during listening and the effects that aging has on these. We first show in younger adults (17-31 years) that neural alpha oscillatory activity indicates when in time attention is deployed (Experiment 1) and that deployment depends on listening difficulty (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 investigated age-related changes in auditory attention regulation. Middle-aged and older adults (54-72 years) show successful attention regulation but appear to utilize timing information differently compared to younger adults (20-33 years). We show a notable age-group dissociation in recruited brain regions. In younger adults, superior parietal cortex underlies alpha power during attention regulation, whereas, in middle-aged and older adults, alpha power emerges from more ventro-lateral areas (posterior temporal cortex). This difference in the sources of alpha activity between age groups only occurred during task performance and was absent during rest (Experiment S1). In sum, our study suggests that middle-aged and older adults employ different neural control strategies compared to younger adults to regulate attention in time under listening challenges.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Björn Herrmann
- Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Burkhard Maess
- Brain Networks Group, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Molly J Henry
- Max Planck Research Group "Neural and Environmental Rhythms", Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ingrid S Johnsrude
- Department of Psychology, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada; School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Stephani T, Nierula B, Villringer A, Eippert F, Nikulin VV. Cortical response variability is driven by local excitability changes with somatotopic organization. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119687. [PMID: 36257491 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119687] [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: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Identical sensory stimuli can lead to different neural responses depending on the instantaneous brain state. Specifically, neural excitability in sensory areas may shape the brain´s response already from earliest cortical processing onwards. However, whether these dynamics affect a given sensory domain as a whole or occur on a spatially local level is largely unknown. We studied this in the somatosensory domain of 38 human participants with EEG, presenting stimuli to the median and tibial nerves alternatingly, and testing the co-variation of initial cortical responses in hand and foot areas, as well as their relation to pre-stimulus oscillatory states. We found that amplitude fluctuations of initial cortical responses to hand and foot stimulation - the N20 and P40 components of the somatosensory evoked potential (SEP), respectively - were not related, indicating local excitability changes in primary sensory regions. In addition, effects of pre-stimulus alpha (8-13 Hz) and beta (18-23 Hz) band amplitude on hand-related responses showed a robust somatotopic organization, thus further strengthening the notion of local excitability fluctuations. However, for foot-related responses, the spatial specificity of pre-stimulus effects was less consistent across frequency bands, with beta appearing to be more foot-specific than alpha. Connectivity analyses in source space suggested this to be due to a somatosensory alpha rhythm that is primarily driven by activity in hand regions while beta frequencies may operate in a more hand-region-independent manner. Altogether, our findings suggest spatially distinct excitability dynamics within the primary somatosensory cortex, yet with the caveat that frequency-specific processes in one sub-region may not readily generalize to other sub-regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T Stephani
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; International Max Planck Research School NeuroCom, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - B Nierula
- Max Planck Research Group Pain Perception, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - A Villringer
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - F Eippert
- Max Planck Research Group Pain Perception, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - V V Nikulin
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany; Neurophysics Group, Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ten Oever S, van der Werf OJ, Schuhmann T, Sack AT. Absence of behavioral rhythms: noise or unexplained neuronal mechanisms? (response to Fiebelkorn, 2021). Eur J Neurosci 2022; 55:3121-3124. [PMID: 35193154 PMCID: PMC9545739 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sanne Ten Oever
- Language and Computation in Neural Systems group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Olof J van der Werf
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Teresa Schuhmann
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre (MBIC), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Brain and Nerve Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+ (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Herbst SK, Stefanics G, Obleser J. Endogenous modulation of delta phase by expectation–A replication of Stefanics et al., 2010. Cortex 2022; 149:226-245. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
8
|
Brown M, Tanenhaus MK, Dilley L. Syllable Inference as a Mechanism for Spoken Language Understanding. Top Cogn Sci 2021; 13:351-398. [PMID: 33780156 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
A classic problem in spoken language comprehension is how listeners perceive speech as being composed of discrete words, given the variable time-course of information in continuous signals. We propose a syllable inference account of spoken word recognition and segmentation, according to which alternative hierarchical models of syllables, words, and phonemes are dynamically posited, which are expected to maximally predict incoming sensory input. Generative models are combined with current estimates of context speech rate drawn from neural oscillatory dynamics, which are sensitive to amplitude rises. Over time, models which result in local minima in error between predicted and recently experienced signals give rise to perceptions of hearing words. Three experiments using the visual world eye-tracking paradigm with a picture-selection task tested hypotheses motivated by this framework. Materials were sentences that were acoustically ambiguous in numbers of syllables, words, and phonemes they contained (cf. English plural constructions, such as "saw (a) raccoon(s) swimming," which have two loci of grammatical information). Time-compressing, or expanding, speech materials permitted determination of how temporal information at, or in the context of, each locus affected looks to, and selection of, pictures with a singular or plural referent (e.g., one or more than one raccoon). Supporting our account, listeners probabilistically interpreted identical chunks of speech as consistent with a singular or plural referent to a degree that was based on the chunk's gradient rate in relation to its context. We interpret these results as evidence that arriving temporal information, judged in relation to language model predictions generated from context speech rate evaluated on a continuous scale, informs inferences about syllables, thereby giving rise to perceptual experiences of understanding spoken language as words separated in time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Brown
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael K Tanenhaus
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA.,School of Psychology, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China
| | - Laura Dilley
- Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Delta/Theta band EEG activity shapes the rhythmic perceptual sampling of auditory scenes. Sci Rep 2021; 11:2370. [PMID: 33504860 PMCID: PMC7840678 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-82008-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies speak in favor of a rhythmic mode of listening, by which the encoding of acoustic information is structured by rhythmic neural processes at the time scale of about 1 to 4 Hz. Indeed, psychophysical data suggest that humans sample acoustic information in extended soundscapes not uniformly, but weigh the evidence at different moments for their perceptual decision at the time scale of about 2 Hz. We here test the critical prediction that such rhythmic perceptual sampling is directly related to the state of ongoing brain activity prior to the stimulus. Human participants judged the direction of frequency sweeps in 1.2 s long soundscapes while their EEG was recorded. We computed the perceptual weights attributed to different epochs within these soundscapes contingent on the phase or power of pre-stimulus EEG activity. This revealed a direct link between 4 Hz EEG phase and power prior to the stimulus and the phase of the rhythmic component of these perceptual weights. Hence, the temporal pattern by which the acoustic information is sampled over time for behavior is directly related to pre-stimulus brain activity in the delta/theta band. These results close a gap in the mechanistic picture linking ongoing delta band activity with their role in shaping the segmentation and perceptual influence of subsequent acoustic information.
Collapse
|
10
|
Beppi C, Ribeiro Violante I, Scott G, Sandrone S. EEG, MEG and neuromodulatory approaches to explore cognition: Current status and future directions. Brain Cogn 2021; 148:105677. [PMID: 33486194 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Neural oscillations and their association with brain states and cognitive functions have been object of extensive investigation over the last decades. Several electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) analysis approaches have been explored and oscillatory properties have been identified, in parallel with the technical and computational advancement. This review provides an up-to-date account of how EEG/MEG oscillations have contributed to the understanding of cognition. Methodological challenges, recent developments and translational potential, along with future research avenues, are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Beppi
- Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Clinical Neuroscience Center, University Hospital Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Inês Ribeiro Violante
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom.
| | - Gregory Scott
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Stefano Sandrone
- Computational, Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience Laboratory (C3NL), Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ten Oever S, Meierdierks T, Duecker F, De Graaf TA, Sack AT. Phase-Coded Oscillatory Ordering Promotes the Separation of Closely Matched Representations to Optimize Perceptual Discrimination. iScience 2020; 23:101282. [PMID: 32604063 PMCID: PMC7326734 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Low-frequency oscillations are proposed to be involved in separating neuronal representations belonging to different items. Although item-specific neuronal activity was found to cluster on different oscillatory phases, the influence of this mechanism on perception is unknown. Here, we investigated the perceptual consequences of neuronal item separation through oscillatory clustering. In an electroencephalographic experiment, participants categorized sounds parametrically varying in pitch, relative to an arbitrary pitch boundary. Pre-stimulus theta and alpha phase biased near-boundary sound categorization to one category or the other. Phase also modulated whether evoked neuronal responses contributed stronger to the fit of the sound envelope of one or another category. Intriguingly, participants with stronger oscillatory clustering (phase strongly biasing sound categorization) in the theta, but not alpha, range had steeper perceptual psychometric slopes (sharper sound category discrimination). These results indicate that neuronal sorting by phase directly influences subsequent perception and has a positive impact on discrimination performance. Pre-stimulus theta/alpha phase co-determines how we perceive ambiguous sounds Phase influences to which sound envelope evoked potentials fit better Neural separation through phase clustering promotes sound discrimination
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sanne Ten Oever
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, P.O. Box 310, 6500 AH Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - Tobias Meierdierks
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Felix Duecker
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre, 6229 EV Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Tom A De Graaf
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre, 6229 EV Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Alexander T Sack
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands; Maastricht Brain Imaging Centre, 6229 EV Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience (MHeNs), Brain and Nerve Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+ (MUMC+), Maastricht, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Haegens S. Entrainment revisited: a commentary on. LANGUAGE, COGNITION AND NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 35:1119-1123. [PMID: 33718510 PMCID: PMC7954236 DOI: 10.1080/23273798.2020.1758335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Haegens
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Systems Neuroscience, Columbia University and the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Wilsch A, Mercier MR, Obleser J, Schroeder CE, Haegens S. Spatial Attention and Temporal Expectation Exert Differential Effects on Visual and Auditory Discrimination. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 32:1562-1576. [PMID: 32319865 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Anticipation of an impending stimulus shapes the state of the sensory systems, optimizing neural and behavioral responses. Here, we studied the role of brain oscillations in mediating spatial and temporal anticipations. Because spatial attention and temporal expectation are often associated with visual and auditory processing, respectively, we directly contrasted the visual and auditory modalities and asked whether these anticipatory mechanisms are similar in both domains. We recorded the magnetoencephalogram in healthy human participants performing an auditory and visual target discrimination task, in which cross-modal cues provided both temporal and spatial information with regard to upcoming stimulus presentation. Motivated by prior findings, we were specifically interested in delta (1-3 Hz) and alpha (8-13 Hz) band oscillatory state in anticipation of target presentation and their impact on task performance. Our findings support the view that spatial attention has a stronger effect in the visual domain, whereas temporal expectation effects are more prominent in the auditory domain. For the spatial attention manipulation, we found a typical pattern of alpha lateralization in the visual system, which correlated with response speed. Providing a rhythmic temporal cue led to increased postcue synchronization of low-frequency rhythms, although this effect was more broadband in nature, suggesting a general phase reset rather than frequency-specific neural entrainment. In addition, we observed delta-band synchronization with a frontal topography, which correlated with performance, especially in the auditory task. Combined, these findings suggest that spatial and temporal anticipations operate via a top-down modulation of the power and phase of low-frequency oscillations, respectively.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Manuel R Mercier
- University of Toulouse Paul Sabatier.,Aix Marseille University, Inserm, INS, Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes, Marseille, France
| | - Jonas Obleser
- University of Lübeck.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Charles E Schroeder
- Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.,Nathan Kline Institute, Orangeburg, SC
| | - Saskia Haegens
- Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.,Radboud University Nijmegen
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Obleser J, Kayser C. Neural Entrainment and Attentional Selection in the Listening Brain. Trends Cogn Sci 2019; 23:913-926. [PMID: 31606386 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2019.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The streams of sounds we typically attend to abound in acoustic regularities. Neural entrainment is seen as an important mechanism that the listening brain exploits to attune to these regularities and to enhance the representation of attended sounds. We delineate the neurophysiology underlying this mechanism and review entrainment alongside its more pragmatic signature, often called 'speech tracking'. The latter has become a popular analytical approach to trace the reflection of acoustic and linguistic information at different levels of granularity, from neurophysiology to neuroimaging. As we discuss, the concept of entrainment offers both a putative neurophysiological mechanism for selective listening and a versatile window onto the neural basis of hearing and speech comprehension.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, 23562 Lübeck, Germany.
| | - Christoph Kayser
- Department for Cognitive Neuroscience and Cognitive Interaction Technology, Center of Excellence, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Herbst SK, Obleser J. Implicit temporal predictability enhances pitch discrimination sensitivity and biases the phase of delta oscillations in auditory cortex. Neuroimage 2019; 203:116198. [PMID: 31539590 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/14/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Can human listeners use implicit temporal contingencies in auditory input to form temporal predictions, and if so, how are these predictions represented endogenously? To assess this question, we implicitly manipulated temporal predictability in an auditory pitch discrimination task: unbeknownst to participants, the pitch of the standard tone could either be deterministically predictive of the temporal onset of the target tone, or convey no predictive information. Predictive and non-predictive conditions were presented interleaved in one stream, and separated by variable inter-stimulus intervals such that there was no dominant stimulus rhythm throughout. Even though participants were unaware of the implicit temporal contingencies, pitch discrimination sensitivity (the slope of the psychometric function) increased when the onset of the target tone was predictable in time (N = 49, 28 female, 21 male). Concurrently recorded EEG data (N = 24) revealed that standard tones that conveyed temporal predictions evoked a more negative N1 component than non-predictive standards. We observed no significant differences in oscillatory power or phase coherence between conditions during the foreperiod. Importantly, the phase angle of delta oscillations (1-3 Hz) in auditory areas in the post-standard and pre-target time windows predicted behavioral pitch discrimination sensitivity. This suggests that temporal predictions are encoded in delta oscillatory phase during the foreperiod interval. In sum, we show that auditory perception benefits from implicit temporal contingencies, and provide evidence for a role of slow neural oscillations in the endogenous representation of temporal predictions, in absence of exogenously driven entrainment to rhythmic input.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sophie K Herbst
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23552, Lübeck, Germany; NeuroSpin, CEA, DRF/Joliot; INSERM Cognitive Neuroimaging Unit; Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay; Bât 145Gif s/ Yvette, 91190 France.
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23552, Lübeck, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Kayser
- Department for Cognitive Neuroscience & Cognitive Interaction Technology, Center of Excellence, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Hansen NE, Harel A, Iyer N, Simpson BD, Wisniewski MG. Pre-stimulus brain state predicts auditory pattern identification accuracy. Neuroimage 2019; 199:512-520. [PMID: 31129305 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.05.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies show that pre-stimulus band-specific power and phase in the electroencephalogram (EEG) can predict accuracy on tasks involving the detection of near-threshold stimuli. However, results in the auditory modality have been mixed, and few works have examined pre-stimulus features when more complex decisions are made (e.g. identifying supra-threshold sounds). Further, most auditory studies have used background sounds known to induce oscillatory EEG states, leaving it unclear whether phase predicts accuracy without such background sounds. To address this gap in knowledge, the present study examined pre-stimulus EEG as it relates to accuracy in a tone pattern identification task. On each trial, participants heard a triad of 40-ms sinusoidal tones (separated by 40-ms intervals), one of which was at a different frequency than the other two. Participants' task was to indicate the tone pattern (low-low-high, low-high-low, etc.). No background sounds were employed. Using a phase opposition measure based on inter-trial phase consistencies, pre-stimulus 7-10 Hz phase was found to differ between correct and incorrect trials ∼200 to 100 ms prior to tone-pattern onset. After sorting trials into bins based on phase, accuracy was found to be lowest at around π-+ relative to individuals' most accurate phase bin. No significant effects were found for pre-stimulus power. In the context of the literature, findings suggest an important relationship between the complexity of task demands and pre-stimulus activity within the auditory domain. Results also raise interesting questions about the role of induced oscillatory states or rhythmic processing modes in obtaining pre-stimulus effects of phase in auditory tasks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie E Hansen
- U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, 45433, USA; Wright State University, 45435, USA
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Haegens S, Zion Golumbic E. Rhythmic facilitation of sensory processing: A critical review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 86:150-165. [PMID: 29223770 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Here we review the role of brain oscillations in sensory processing. We examine the idea that neural entrainment of intrinsic oscillations underlies the processing of rhythmic stimuli in the context of simple isochronous rhythms as well as in music and speech. This has been a topic of growing interest over recent years; however, many issues remain highly controversial: how do fluctuations of intrinsic neural oscillations-both spontaneous and entrained to external stimuli-affect perception, and does this occur automatically or can it be actively controlled by top-down factors? Some of the controversy in the literature stems from confounding use of terminology. Moreover, it is not straightforward how theories and findings regarding isochronous rhythms generalize to more complex, naturalistic stimuli, such as speech and music. Here we aim to clarify terminology, and distinguish between different phenomena that are often lumped together as reflecting "neural entrainment" but may actually vary in their mechanistic underpinnings. Furthermore, we discuss specific caveats and confounds related to making inferences about oscillatory mechanisms from human electrophysiological data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Haegens
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA; Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Harris KC, Dubno JR. Age-related deficits in auditory temporal processing: unique contributions of neural dyssynchrony and slowed neuronal processing. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 53:150-158. [PMID: 28185661 PMCID: PMC5385299 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Revised: 01/02/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This study was guided by the hypothesis that the aging central nervous system progressively loses its ability to process rapid acoustic changes that are important for speech recognition. Specifically, we hypothesized that age-related deficits in neural synchrony and neuronal oscillatory activity occur independently in older adults and disrupt auditory temporal processing. Neural synchrony is largely dependent on phase locking within the central auditory pathway, beginning at the auditory nerve. In contrast, the resonance characteristics of oscillatory activity are dependent on the integrity and structure of long range cortical connections. We tested our hypotheses by assessing age-related differences in electrophysiologic correlates of neural synchrony and peak oscillatory frequency in younger and older adults with normal hearing and determining their associations with a behavioral measure of gap detection. Phase-locking values were smaller (poorer neural synchrony) and peak alpha frequency was lower for older than younger adults and decreased as gap detection thresholds increased; variations in phase-locking values and peak alpha frequency uniquely predicted gap detection thresholds. These effects were driven, in large part, by associations in older adults. These results reveal dissociable neural mechanisms associated with distinct underlying pathology that may differentially be present in older adults and contribute to auditory processing declines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly C Harris
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
| | - Judy R Dubno
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Prestimulus influences on auditory perception from sensory representations and decision processes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:4842-7. [PMID: 27071110 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1524087113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The qualities of perception depend not only on the sensory inputs but also on the brain state before stimulus presentation. Although the collective evidence from neuroimaging studies for a relation between prestimulus state and perception is strong, the interpretation in the context of sensory computations or decision processes has remained difficult. In the auditory system, for example, previous studies have reported a wide range of effects in terms of the perceptually relevant frequency bands and state parameters (phase/power). To dissociate influences of state on earlier sensory representations and higher-level decision processes, we collected behavioral and EEG data in human participants performing two auditory discrimination tasks relying on distinct acoustic features. Using single-trial decoding, we quantified the relation between prestimulus activity, relevant sensory evidence, and choice in different task-relevant EEG components. Within auditory networks, we found that phase had no direct influence on choice, whereas power in task-specific frequency bands affected the encoding of sensory evidence. Within later-activated frontoparietal regions, theta and alpha phase had a direct influence on choice, without involving sensory evidence. These results delineate two consistent mechanisms by which prestimulus activity shapes perception. However, the timescales of the relevant neural activity depend on the specific brain regions engaged by the respective task.
Collapse
|