Contingent negative variation (CNV) associated with sensorimotor timing error correction

Abstract

Introduction: Detection and subsequent correction of sensorimotor timing errors is fundamental to adaptive behavior. Using scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERPs), we sought to find ERP components that are predictive of error correction performance during rhythmic movements.Method: Healthy right-handed participants were asked to synchronize their finger taps to a regular tone sequence (every 600 ms), whilst EEG data were continuously recorded. Data from 15 participants were analyzed. Occasional irregularities were built into stimulus presentation timing: 90 ms before (advances: negative shift) or after (delays: positive shift) the expected time point. A tapping condition alternated with a listening condition in which identical stimulus sequence was presented but participants did not tap.Results: Behavioral error correction was observed immediately following a shift, with a degree of over-correction with positive shifts. Our stimulus-locked ERP data analysis revealed, 1) increased auditory N1 amplitude for the positive shift condition and decreased auditory N1 modulation for the negative shift condition; and 2) a second enhanced negativity (N2) in the tapping positive condition, compared with the tapping negative condition. In response-locked epochs, we observed a CNV (contingent negative variation)-like negativity with earlier latency in the tapping negative condition compared with the tapping positive condition. This CNV-like negativity peaked at around the onset of subsequent tapping, with the earlier the peak, the better the error correction performance with the negative shifts while the later the peak, the better the error correction performance with the positive shifts.Discussion: This study showed that the CNV-like negativity was associated with the error correction performance during our sensorimotor synchronization study. Auditory N1 and N2 were differentially involved in negative vs. positive error correction. However, we did not find 3 evidence for their involvement in behavioral error correction. Overall, our study provides the basis from which further research on the role of the CNV in perceptual and motor timing can be developed.

Sensorimotor Synchronization With Auditory and Visual Modalities: Behavioral and Neural Differences

“…By inducing perturbations and errors in SMS, we can gain insight into the underlying timing mechanisms. A common method to induce errors in a SMS task is to occasionally perturb an otherwise isochronous metronome (Repp, 2000 , 2001a , b ; Praamstra et al, 2003 ; Repp and Keller, 2004 ; Jang et al, 2016 ; Jantzen et al, 2018 ). Error correction in SMS can be broken down into two distinct mechanisms: a phase-correction mechanism for correcting errors in relative phase, and a period-correction mechanism that corrects changes to the internal timekeeper period (Repp, 2001b ; Repp and Keller, 2004 ).…”

“…The neural correlates of error correction reveal more evidence for multiple interacting and overlapping timing mechanisms. Error detection of timing perturbations in auditory SMS tasks modulates the P1, N1, and N2 auditory ERP components depending on both the size and direction of the perturbation (Praamstra et al, 2003 ; Jang et al, 2016 ). Jantzen et al ( 2018 ) also found a theta response stemming from the Pre-SMA and anterior cingulate for error detection, an increase in theta coupling between the SMA and the motor cortex for late perturbations.…”

Exploring potential social influences on brain potentials during anticipation of tactile stimulation

“…The CNV is a slow buildup of a negative-going EEG potential during the interval between a warning/cue stimulus (S1) and a target stimulus (S2), which has been interpreted as reflecting the deployment of attention (Babiloni et al, 2003;Bickel et al, 2012;Hamano et al, 1997;Tecce, 1972), timing processes (e.g. gauging expected duration of cue-target interval; Jang et al, 2016;Macar and Vidal, 2009;Mento, 2013;van Rijn et al, 2011) or changes in alertness (Pauletti et al, 2014;Posner, 2008). The CNV is commonly observed over frontal-central regions prior to the delivery of auditory or tactile stimuli (Chennu et al, 2013;Kononowicz and Penney, 2016;Pauletti et al, 2014), and has a strong parietal-occipital distribution preceding visual targets (Gomez, et al, 2007).…”

Neural responses to perturbations in visual and auditory metronomes during sensorimotor synchronization

“…Behavioral studies of finger tapping have contributed to our understanding of how movement trajectories contribute to error correction in motor timing (Balasubramaniam et al, 2004;Hove et al, 2014). Recently, neuroimaging techniques have also been used to build understanding of the neural basis of error correction in sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) using EEG (Praamstra et al, 2003;Jang et al, 2016) By studying the neural processes involved in visual and auditory SMS, the two modalities can be compared, and thus tested to see to what extent the neural mechanisms of SMS are modality specific or generalized.…”