Oscillatory characteristics of the visual mismatch negativity: what evoked potentials aren't telling us

Abstract

The visual mismatch negativity (vMMN) response is typically examined by subtracting the average response to a deviant stimulus from the response to the standard. This approach, however, can omit a critical element of the neural response, i.e., the non-phase-locked (“induced”) oscillatory activity. Recent investigations of the oscillatory characteristics of the auditory mismatch negativity (aMMN) identified a crucial role for theta phase locking and power. Oscillatory characteristics of the vMMN from 39 healthy young adults were investigated in order to establish whether theta phase locking plays a similar role in the vMMN response. We explored changes in phase locking, overall post-stimulus spectral power as well as non-phase-locked spectral power compared to baseline (−300 to 0 ms). These were calculated in the frequency range of 4–50 Hz and analysed using a non-parametric cluster based analysis. vMMN was found intermittently in a broad time interval 133–584 ms post-stimulus and was associated with an early increase in theta phase locking (75–175 ms post-stimulus) that was not accompanied by an increase in theta power. Theta phase locking in the absence of an increase in theta power has been associated with the distribution and flow of information between spatially disparate neural locations. Additionally, in the 450–600 ms post-stimulus interval, deviant stimuli yielded a stronger decrease in non-phase-locked alpha power than standard stimuli, potentially reflecting a shift in attentional resources following the detection of change. The examination of oscillatory activity is crucial to the comprehensive analysis of a neural response to a stimulus, and when combined with evoked potentials (EPs) provide a more complete picture of neurocognitive processing.

Visual deviant stimuli produce mismatch responses in the amplitude dynamics of neuronal oscillations

“…However, in contrast to Stothart and Kazanina, we also found a stronger increase of alpha oscillations (ERS) to deviant than standard stimuli. In our study, the activation of ERD/ERS showed a broad spatial distribution; however, the responses rather had topographies with a clear maximum over occipito-parietal regions, which is in line with ERP vMMN studies (Kimura, 2012) and the study of Stothart and Kazanina (2013).…”

“…Similarly, it has recently been investigated whether induced theta activity plays a similar role in the generation of oscillatory visual MMN as it does in oscillatory auditory MMN (Stothart and Kazanina, 2013). The results by Stothart and Kazanina (2013) showed the reduction of alpha power to both standard and deviant stimuli in occipito-parietal sites. Importantly, the decrease of alpha power was stronger to deviant stimuli like in our study.…”

“…In the human brain, such changes in stimulus properties can be detected electrophysiologically via recording of Abbreviations: CSP, common spatial pattern; EEG, electroencephalography; EOG, electrooculography; ERD, event-related desynchronization; ERP, event-related potential; ERS, event-related synchronization; MEG, magnetoencephalography; MMN, mismatch negativity; MOR, mismatch oscillatory response; ROI, region of interest; vMMN, visual mismatch negativity; vMOR, visual mismatch oscillatory response. dynamics of auditory (Fuentemilla et al, 2008;Hsiao et al, 2009;Ko et al, 2012) or visual neuronal oscillations (Stothart and Kazanina, 2013). As evoked responses and neuronal oscillations represent two major modes of brain functioning (Roach and Mathalon, 2008), answering this question is important for understanding neuronal processing responsible for change detection.…”

Visual Mismatch Negativity (vMMN): a Prediction Error Signal in the Visual Modality

“…Stothart and Kazanina (2013) investigated differences in phase-locking and induced activity in ERPs to rare unattended changes in spatial frequency of vertical bar stimuli in an oddball paradigm. Participants engaged in a central primary task.…”

Regulation of expression site and generalizability of experience-dependent plasticity in visual cortex

“…Oscillatory phase reset may be a fundamental mechanism of potentiation of sensory responses. Indeed, synchronization of the phase of a fluctuating visual stimulus with ongoing oscillatory activity is known to increase the LFP amplitude (Kissinger et al, 2018), and the well-documented increase sensory response amplitudes following directed attention or in response to a deviant stimulus are coincident with an oscillatory phase reset (Fuentemilla et al, 2008;Heinze et al, 1994;Hillyard and Anllo-Vento, 1998;Stothart and Kazanina, 2013;Zhang and Luck, 2009).…”