Neural Entrainment vs. Stimulus-Tracking: A Conceptual Challenge for Rhythmic Perceptual Stimulation in Developmental Neuroscience

Bánki, Anna; Brzozowska, Alicja; Hoehl, Stefanie; Köster, Moritz

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.878984

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…First, the term oscillation is used indiscriminately to refer to a specific kind of temporal structure in measurements or in processes. Second, there is a lack of consensus on how to identify and distinguish oscillations from other dynamical features, regardless of whether that concerns measurements or processes (Bánki et al, 2022). These ambiguities feed into two further sources of disagreement in the field: 1) the degree to which oscillations in the e-field exert causal effects, and 2) the role oscillations play in neural computation.…”

Section: The Theoretical Role Of Oscillationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decoupling Measurements and Processes: On the Epiphenomenon Debate Surrounding Brain Oscillations in Field Potentials

van Bree,

Levenstein,

Krause

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Various theories in neuroscience maintain that brain oscillations have an important role in neuronal computation, but opposing views claim that these macroscale dynamics are “exhaust fumes” of more relevant processes. Here, we argue that the question of whether oscillations are epiphenomenal is ill-defined and cannot be productively resolved without further refinement. Toward that end, we outline a conceptual framework that clarifies the dispute along two axes: first, we introduce a distinction between measurement and process to categorize the theoretical status of electrophysiology terms such as local field potentials and oscillations. Second, we consider the relationships between these disambiguated terms, evaluating based on experimental and computational evidence whether there exist causal or inferentially useful links between them. This decomposes the question of epiphenomenalism into a set of empirically tractable alternatives. Finally, we demarcate oscillations as a conceptually distinct entity where either processes or measurements exhibit periodic behavior, and we suggest that oscillatory processes orchestrate neural computation by implementing a temporal, spatial, and frequency syntax. Overall, our reframed evaluation supports the view that electric fields—oscillating or not—are causally relevant, and that their associated signals are informative. More broadly, we offer a vocabulary and starting point for scientific exchanges on the role and utility of brain signals and the biological processes they capture.

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Section: The Theoretical Role Of Oscillationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decoupling Measurements and Processes: On the Epiphenomenon Debate Surrounding Brain Oscillations in Field Potentials

van Bree,

Levenstein,

Krause

et al. 2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…'Stimulustracking' or 'neural-tracking', for example (Fig. 2A), can elicit repeated transient event-related responses to a series of temporal regularities but because it is not clear if it interferes with related cognitive and perceptual processes, it can only be considered as entrainment in the broad sense (Bánki et al, 2022). In contrast, entrainment in the narrow sense is when the input flow 'hijacks' the frequency of the ongoing neural oscillation.…”

Section: Neural Entrainment: a Narrow And Broad Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several authors have argued about the importance of this distinction. This is mainly because it is only in the latter case that we can assume alternation of spontaneous neural oscillations (phase alignment) and, most importantly, that these alterations are behaviorally-relevant (Bánki et al, 2022;Haegens, 2020;Helfrich et al, 2019;Keitel et al, 2014;Obleser and Kayser, 2019).…”

Section: Neural Entrainment: a Narrow And Broad Definitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

On Natural Attunement: Shared Rhythms Between the Brain and the Environment

Charalambous¹,

Djebbara²

2023

Preprint

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Rhythms exist both in the body-brain and the built environment. Becoming attuned to the rhythms of the environment, such as repetitive columns, can greatly affect perception. Here, we explore how the built environment affects human cognition and behavior through the concept of natural attunement, often resulting from the coordination of a person's sensory and motor systems with the rhythmic elements of the environment. The article argues that the built environment should not be reduced to mere states, representations, and single variables but instead should be considered as a bundle of highly related continuous signals with which we can resonate. Resonance and entrainment are dynamic processes observed when a driven oscillatory system (e.g., the brain) oscillating at specific (intrinsic) frequencies is influenced by the dynamics of the driving system (e.g., an external signal). This paves the way for visual rhythmic stimulations of the environment to couple with and affect the brain and body through neural entrainment, cross-frequency coupling, and phase resetting. We discuss how environmental elements in actual architectural settings can affect neural dynamics, cognitive processes, and behavior in people. The article argues that the concept of rhythm is crucial in understanding the brain-body-environment relationships, and the inclusion of the built environment in ecologically valid experimentation is a necessary next step to understanding the brain in real-world settings.

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Rhythmic visual stimulation as a window into early brain development: A systematic review

Köster,

Brzozowska,

Bánki

et al. 2023

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

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Neural Entrainment vs. Stimulus-Tracking: A Conceptual Challenge for Rhythmic Perceptual Stimulation in Developmental Neuroscience

Cited by 8 publications

References 50 publications

Decoupling Measurements and Processes: On the Epiphenomenon Debate Surrounding Brain Oscillations in Field Potentials

Decoupling Measurements and Processes: On the Epiphenomenon Debate Surrounding Brain Oscillations in Field Potentials

On Natural Attunement: Shared Rhythms Between the Brain and the Environment

Rhythmic visual stimulation as a window into early brain development: A systematic review

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