“…These two features are denoted as theta-1 and theta-2. These theta responses correspond to the temporal phase modulated (PM) theta component (theta-1) and the frontal amplitude modulated (AM) theta component (theta-2) [24, 37, 38]. Fig.…”
BackgroundOddball paradigms are frequently used to study auditory discrimination by comparing event-related potential (ERP) responses from a standard, high probability sound and to a deviant, low probability sound. Previous research has established that such paradigms, such as the mismatch response or mismatch negativity, are useful for examining auditory processes in young children and infants across various sleep and attention states. The extent to which oddball ERP responses may reflect subtle discrimination effects, such as speech discrimination, is largely unknown, especially in infants that have not yet acquired speech and language.ResultsMismatch responses for three contrasts (non-speech, vowel, and consonant) were computed as a spectral-temporal probability function in 24 infants, and analyzed at the group level by a modified multidimensional scaling. Immediately following an onset gamma response (30–50 Hz), the emergence of a beta oscillation (12–30 Hz) was temporally coupled with a lower frequency theta oscillation (2–8 Hz). The spectral-temporal probability of this coupling effect relative to a subsequent theta modulation corresponds with discrimination difficulty for non-speech, vowel, and consonant contrast features.DiscussionThe theta modulation effect suggests that unexpected sounds are encoded as a probabilistic measure of surprise. These results support the notion that auditory discrimination is driven by the development of brain networks for predictive processing, and can be measured in infants during sleep. The results presented here have implications for the interpretation of discrimination as a probabilistic process, and may provide a basis for the development of single-subject and single-trial classification in a clinically useful context.ConclusionAn infant’s brain is processing information about the environment and performing computations, even during sleep. These computations reflect subtle differences in acoustic feature processing that are necessary for language-learning. Results from this study suggest that brain responses to deviant sounds in an oddball paradigm follow a cascade of oscillatory modulations. This cascade begins with a gamma response that later emerges as a beta synchronization, which is temporally coupled with a theta modulation, and followed by a second, subsequent theta modulation. The difference in frequency and timing of the theta modulations appears to reflect a measure of surprise. These insights into the neurophysiological mechanisms of auditory discrimination provide a basis for exploring the clinically utility of the MMR
TF and other auditory oddball responses.
“…These two features are denoted as theta-1 and theta-2. These theta responses correspond to the temporal phase modulated (PM) theta component (theta-1) and the frontal amplitude modulated (AM) theta component (theta-2) [24, 37, 38]. Fig.…”
BackgroundOddball paradigms are frequently used to study auditory discrimination by comparing event-related potential (ERP) responses from a standard, high probability sound and to a deviant, low probability sound. Previous research has established that such paradigms, such as the mismatch response or mismatch negativity, are useful for examining auditory processes in young children and infants across various sleep and attention states. The extent to which oddball ERP responses may reflect subtle discrimination effects, such as speech discrimination, is largely unknown, especially in infants that have not yet acquired speech and language.ResultsMismatch responses for three contrasts (non-speech, vowel, and consonant) were computed as a spectral-temporal probability function in 24 infants, and analyzed at the group level by a modified multidimensional scaling. Immediately following an onset gamma response (30–50 Hz), the emergence of a beta oscillation (12–30 Hz) was temporally coupled with a lower frequency theta oscillation (2–8 Hz). The spectral-temporal probability of this coupling effect relative to a subsequent theta modulation corresponds with discrimination difficulty for non-speech, vowel, and consonant contrast features.DiscussionThe theta modulation effect suggests that unexpected sounds are encoded as a probabilistic measure of surprise. These results support the notion that auditory discrimination is driven by the development of brain networks for predictive processing, and can be measured in infants during sleep. The results presented here have implications for the interpretation of discrimination as a probabilistic process, and may provide a basis for the development of single-subject and single-trial classification in a clinically useful context.ConclusionAn infant’s brain is processing information about the environment and performing computations, even during sleep. These computations reflect subtle differences in acoustic feature processing that are necessary for language-learning. Results from this study suggest that brain responses to deviant sounds in an oddball paradigm follow a cascade of oscillatory modulations. This cascade begins with a gamma response that later emerges as a beta synchronization, which is temporally coupled with a theta modulation, and followed by a second, subsequent theta modulation. The difference in frequency and timing of the theta modulations appears to reflect a measure of surprise. These insights into the neurophysiological mechanisms of auditory discrimination provide a basis for exploring the clinically utility of the MMR
TF and other auditory oddball responses.
“…Thereby, we confirmed and extended the findings of previous behavioral studies (Flege and Fletcher, 1992; Flege, 1995; Flege et al, 1999) in neurally showing that long-term L2 language classroom has no influence on degree of L2 perception and foreign accent. Further studies might, however, utilize novel methods of signal processing to investigate whether differences in neural processing depending on classroom learning might be hidden in narrow EEG frequency bands or in trial-to-trial variations or in corticocortical transfer of information (e.g., Choi et al, 2013; Lieder et al, 2013), which could not be detected with the conventional approach adopted here.…”
Section: Conclusion and Implications For Future Workmentioning
According to the Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM), articulatory similarity/dissimilarity between sounds of the second language (L2) and the native language (L1) governs L2 learnability in adulthood and predicts L2 sound perception by naïve listeners. We performed behavioral and neurophysiological experiments on two groups of university students at the first and fifth years of the English language curriculum and on a group of naïve listeners. Categorization and discrimination tests, as well as the mismatch negativity (MMN) brain response to L2 sound changes, showed that the discriminatory capabilities of the students did not significantly differ from those of the naïve subjects. In line with the PAM model, we extend the findings of previous behavioral studies showing that, at the neural level, classroom instruction in adulthood relies on assimilation of L2 vowels to L1 phoneme categories and does not trigger improvement in L2 phonetic discrimination. Implications for L2 classroom teaching practices are discussed.
“…More recently, a number of findings suggest that generation of the MMN depends on oscillatory activity in the theta frequency band (Choi et al, 2013;Fuentemilla et al, 2008;Garrido et al, 2008;Hsiao et al, 2009;Ko et al, 2012). Here, we explore the possibility of an oscillatory correlate of the MMN in behaviour.…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 89%
“…Several studies show that MMN elicitation is associated with increases in theta power and phase coherence in frontal and temporal areas (Fuentemilla et al, 2008;Hsiao et al, 2009;Ko et al, 2012). Connectivity analyses suggest that fronto-temporal interactions and reciprocal changes are essential to MMN generation (Garrido et al, 2008), with theta oscillations playing a possible role in synchronising activity between frontal and temporal regions (Choi et al, 2013). The significance of theta rhythm in cortical coherence is corroborated by clinical findings, linking MMN deficits in Schizophrenia to decreased theta band activity (for a review, see Javitt et al, 2018).…”
Section: Updating Auditory Perceptual Priors Via Theta Oscillationsmentioning
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 in the immediate past is propagated through ear-specific reverberations, manifested as rhythmic fluctuations of decision bias at alpha frequency. Here, we apply the same time-resolved behavioural method to investigate how perceptual performance changes over time under conditions of high 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 that 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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