Audio-visual synchrony and spatial attention enhance processing of dynamic visual stimulation independently and in parallel: A frequency-tagging study

Čović, Amra; Keitel, Christian; Porcu, Emanuele; Schröger, Erich; Müller, Matthias

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.08.022

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…It is not clear how these cross-trial influences occur, but in a broad sense, they are in line with the idea that audiovisual interactions can occur at multiple stages of sensory processing (Cappe et al, 2009;Koelewijn et al, 2010). Hence, while the observed data might show a potential role of the direct visualto-auditory influences at peripheral locations in multisensory processing, the observed cross-trial dependencies of visual-toauditory benefits to trials with static stimuli might also rely on contributions of higher association cortices in the brain (Covic et al, 2017). As in our experiment design, the (in)congruent modulated and static stimuli are presented randomly in a staircase design with varying intensity of stimuli, we are unable to comment on the nature of serial interactions extending over trials.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Audiovisual Interactions Among Near-Threshold Oscillating Stimuli in the Far Periphery Are Phase-Dependent

Zulfiqar

Moerel

Lage‐Castellanos

et al. 2021

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Recent studies have highlighted the possible contributions of direct connectivity between early sensory cortices to audiovisual integration. Anatomical connections between the early auditory and visual cortices are concentrated in visual sites representing the peripheral field of view. Here, we aimed to engage early sensory interactive pathways with simple, far-peripheral audiovisual stimuli (auditory noise and visual gratings). Using a modulation detection task in one modality performed at an 84% correct threshold level, we investigated multisensory interactions by simultaneously presenting weak stimuli from the other modality in which the temporal modulation was barely-detectable (at 55 and 65% correct detection performance). Furthermore, we manipulated the temporal congruence between the cross-sensory streams. We found evidence for an influence of barely-detectable visual stimuli on the response times for auditory stimuli, but not for the reverse effect. These visual-to-auditory influences only occurred for specific phase-differences (at onset) between the modulated audiovisual stimuli. We discuss our findings in the light of a possible role of direct interactions between early visual and auditory areas, along with contributions from the higher-order association cortex. In sum, our results extend the behavioral evidence of audio-visual processing to the far periphery, and suggest – within this specific experimental setting – an asymmetry between the auditory influence on visual processing and the visual influence on auditory processing.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 83%

Audiovisual Interactions Among Near-Threshold Oscillating Stimuli in the Far Periphery Are Phase-Dependent

Zulfiqar

Moerel

Lage‐Castellanos

et al. 2021

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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“…They were likely masked by the broad alpha peak (Fig. 2; Covic et al, 2017). Note that this is a result of the relatively low-intensity stimulation used here.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The effects of attention on SSR-evoked power and ITC are typically interchangeable (Covic et al, 2017; Keitel et al, 2017a). In fact, increased ITC, or phase synchronization, has been considered the primary effect of attention on stimulus-driven periodic brain responses (Kim et al, 2007; Kranczioch, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stimulus-Driven Brain Rhythms within the Alpha Band: The Attentional-Modulation Conundrum

Keitel

Benwell

et al. 2019

J. Neurosci.

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Two largely independent research lines use rhythmic sensory stimulation to study visual processing. Despite the use of strikingly similar experimental paradigms, they differ crucially in their notion of the stimulus-driven periodic brain responses: one regards them mostly as synchronized (entrained) intrinsic brain rhythms; the other assumes they are predominantly evoked responses [classically termed steady-state responses (SSRs)] that add to the ongoing brain activity. This conceptual difference can produce contradictory predictions about, and interpretations of, experimental outcomes. The effect of spatial attention on brain rhythms in the alpha band (8–13 Hz) is one such instance: alpha-range SSRs have typically been found to increase in power when participants focus their spatial attention on laterally presented stimuli, in line with a gain control of the visual evoked response. In nearly identical experiments, retinotopic decreases in entrained alpha-band power have been reported, in line with the inhibitory function of intrinsic alpha. Here we reconcile these contradictory findings by showing that they result from a small but far-reaching difference between two common approaches to EEG spectral decomposition. In a new analysis of previously published human EEG data, recorded during bilateral rhythmic visual stimulation, we find the typical SSR gain effect when emphasizing stimulus-locked neural activity and the typical retinotopic alpha suppression when focusing on ongoing rhythms. These opposite but parallel effects suggest that spatial attention may bias the neural processing of dynamic visual stimulation via two complementary neural mechanisms. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Attending to a visual stimulus strengthens its representation in visual cortex and leads to a retinotopic suppression of spontaneous alpha rhythms. To further investigate this process, researchers often attempt to phase lock, or entrain, alpha through rhythmic visual stimulation under the assumption that this entrained alpha retains the characteristics of spontaneous alpha. Instead, we show that the part of the brain response that is phase locked to the visual stimulation increased with attention (as do steady-state evoked potentials), while the typical suppression was only present in non-stimulus-locked alpha activity. The opposite signs of these effects suggest that attentional modulation of dynamic visual stimulation relies on two parallel cortical mechanisms—retinotopic alpha suppression and increased temporal tracking.

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“…Others were changed or simplified over time. Because language such an important form of communication, some people study other languages to be able to speak and write in them other than their own [14,15,16].…”

Section: Background Of the Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Audio-based Assessment in Determining Language

Africa¹

2020

IJETER

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The most apparent way humans communicate is verbal with the use of Language. With language being so complex, the average person would not be able to recognize another language besides their native own. But one thing is universal for all languages spoken throughout the world and it is that they produce sound. The average human being can hear sounds with frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz and with an intensity above the standard threshold of hearing. Hence, speaking produces sound with frequencies in between the said range. This paper aims to determine the language spoken of a given voice signal. By analyzing the given voice signal, its frequency range can be determined. Languages are spoken differently therefore have different frequency ranges. By using a filter to remove any ambient sounds from the input voice signal, its equivalent spectrogram reading gives an accurate range of its frequencies.

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Audio-visual synchrony and spatial attention enhance processing of dynamic visual stimulation independently and in parallel: A frequency-tagging study

Cited by 13 publications

References 69 publications

Audiovisual Interactions Among Near-Threshold Oscillating Stimuli in the Far Periphery Are Phase-Dependent

Audiovisual Interactions Among Near-Threshold Oscillating Stimuli in the Far Periphery Are Phase-Dependent

Stimulus-Driven Brain Rhythms within the Alpha Band: The Attentional-Modulation Conundrum

Audio-based Assessment in Determining Language

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